Delaware mom, baby found dead before family court appearance

NEWPORT, Del. – A 45-year-old woman and her 1-year-old son were found dead in their Delaware apartment just hours before the woman was supposed to appear in family court.

News outlets report police have not yet released the identities of those involved, though they have classified the deaths as suspicious. Witness Andrea Bender, of Newport, identified the mother as her sister, Laura B. Connell, and the baby as Connell’s son, Walton.

Bender says she arrived to drive the pair to family court Wednesday morning so Connell could surrender the baby to his father. But she says Connell didn’t come out, so she entered the apartment and found the bodies. New Castle County police Master Cpl. Michel Eckerd says the Delaware Division of Forensic Science will determine the causes of death.