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Published Wednesday | January 9, 2008
Boy dies alone days after his mother
BY JASON KUIPER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
A toddler may have wandered around an Omaha apartment for days after his mother's death, foraging for food. But the 21-month-old didn't survive long enough for help to arrive.
Police found the bodies of Janelle Browning and Ezekiel Berry on Monday at the Drake Court Apartments near 21st and Leavenworth Streets.
Police were working to determine how the 43-year-old woman and her son died, although foul play was not suspected.
Capt. Mary Newman said police were called Monday after a friend of Browning alerted apartment managers that Browning hadn't been seen for several weeks. When apartment officials checked the apartment, they found her dead inside.
A Tuesday autopsy found no outward signs of trauma, Newman said. Police were hoping that once toxicology results come back, they will have answers about how the two died.
Newman said police could not say who died first, but people with knowledge of the investigation said the mother was believed to have been dead for several days before the child died.
