Published January 13, 2015
Police investigating a foul odor in a locked apartment discovered a woman's decomposed body and her malnourished and dehydrated 2-year-old son.
The body of Tammy Graves, 36, was found Sunday evening and she likely died within the past week, officials said. An autopsy Monday revealed no evidence of foul play.
Graves' son was taken to a hospital and later placed with a relative that police did not identify.
Graves' body was found in her locked apartment in Erie shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday. A neighbor had called to report a foul odor.
An autopsy was conducted Monday, but it may take weeks for toxicology tests to determine how Graves died, Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said.
"No bullet holes, knife wounds, no ligatures, anything of that nature," Cook said. "There were no changes to the body that could not be explained."
There also was no evidence of illicit drug use at the scene so investigators were looking into the woman's medical history, Cook said.
"At this point in time, there's nothing to suggest foul play," District Attorney Brad Foulk said.
The boy was malnourished, but his condition was solely the result of being alone after his mother died, police said. He otherwise appeared to be well-cared for.
Authorities could not immediately locate the boy's father, who did not live with Graves, Foulk said.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/malnourished-boy-2-found-with-decomposed-body-of-mother