An unattended 2-year-old starved after his father died at their upstate New York home this year, authorities said Tuesday.
David Conde Sr., 59, and David Conde Jr., 2, were found dead Feb. 15 in their apartment in Geneva, about 45 miles southeast of Rochester and 55 miles southwest of Syracuse.
The father died naturally from "cardiovascular disease," the Ontario County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.
The toddler's cause of death was starvation, and the manner was ruled to be accidental, the sheriff’s department said.
Police were called to the home to perform a welfare check because Conde Sr. had not been heard from in several weeks, Lt. Joseph Murphy said Thursday. The pair had not been reported missing, and the child was not in day care.
"It is believed that Mr. Conde passed away first, and the child was not able to obtain any nourishment after his father passed," the statement concluded.
Authorities have since located and interviewed the child's mother. The family could not be reached at phone numbers listed for them.
The pair were last seen alive Jan. 22, and investigators have said there were no signs of forced entry or foul play in the apartment.