Updated

Authorities in northern New Jersey are awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death for a woman whose body was found with her 3-month-old twins, who were dehydrated but responsive.

Officers on Wednesday responded to a call from a relative concerned that he hadn't heard from 39-year-old Alice Jackson in days.

Jackson was found dead on her bed in her Plainfield apartment. Police she appeared to have died of natural causes. They believe she had been dead for days when she was found.

Her children remain hospitalized in stable condition.

The discovery comes a week after police in nearby Union discovered a malnourished toddler chain-locked inside an apartment with his dead mother.