By Richard Weir, Colneth Smiley Jr. and Marie Szaniszlo
The Boston Herald
CHELSEA, Mass. — A 28-year-old mom found lifeless in her Chelsea apartment while her hungry infant son wailed in another room appears not to have died from foul play or suicide, police said yesterday.
Medical examiners have not determined a cause of death yet for Erica Grover, whose body was discovered in her bedroom at 3:55 p.m. Friday, said Chelsea Police Capt. Keith Houghton. A neighbor, alarmed by hearing a “baby crying for a while” and getting no answer when repeatedly knocking on the woman’s door, called 911, Houghton said.
When police officers and firefighters entered the unlocked third-floor apartment inside the Mill Creek Condominiums on Cottage Street, they found her 1-year-old boy in the living room clad in only a diaper, he said.
“They said he looked hungry and had soiled diapers,” Houghton said, adding that the child may have been alone with his deceased mother for several hours.
Paramedics took the child to Mass. General Hospital for evaluation. The boy, who appeared in good condition, was later turned over to his maternal grandmother after officers tracked her down at work, police said.
Houghton said investigators are awaiting toxicology tests from an autopsy. But he said there was no note left at the scene and, based on preliminary information, no other evidence to suggest suicide or foul play.
A Chelsea fire official told the Herald that veteran firefighters who arrived on the scene were moved by the heart-breaking scene.
“After finding the body, some of the guys went and changed the baby and fed him. He’d obviously been there alone for awhile,” the fire official said. “It’s days like this when you go home and hug your kids. Three of the firefighters have kids of their own. They were shaken up by this.”
Residents in the well-kept building described Grover as a “friendly” neighbor who had not lived the complex very long.
“She was very nice. Every time I saw her, she was always with him. He’s an adorable little boy,” said Carla Esther, 26.
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