A boy from New York died of starvation after his father passed away from heart disease, leaving the two-year-old toddler alone in their upstate home, authorities announced.
The Ontario County Sheriff's Office released on Monday, November 14, the official causes of death of David Conde Sr. and his toddler son, David Conde Jr., nine months after the pair were discovered lifeless inside their home on Hamilton Street in Geneva.
Deputies said that the 59-year-old dad died first of natural causes due to heart disease. His young son then died sometime later because of malnourishment. Deputies wrote in a news release that was cited by Syracuse.com that it is believed Mr. Conde passed away first.
Deaths of Condes a very sad case
His child was then not able to obtain any nourishment after his father passed away. According to Sheriff's Lt. Dave Cirencione, the tragic conclusion of this case did not come as a surprise to the investigators.
Cirencione told Finger Lakes Times that once they ruled out carbon monoxide as the cause of their deaths, they sadly knew this was a likely cause. He added that this is a very, very sad case.
Deputies were called to the apartment of the Condes on February 15, 2022, to perform a welfare check on them. The family members requested that check after they had not seen or heard from the father and son in a week. Lt. Joseph Murphy said that the pair had not been reported missing, and the boy was not in day care.
When police officers got to the apartment complex, they noticed that the door was locked. Cops were then forced to break into the apartment after an employee was unable to open the door to the Condes' residence due to the deadbolt being locked.
Young boy had an undisclosed medical condition
Authorities in New York have since located and interviewed the kid's mom. Investigators said that there were no signs of forced entry or foul play in the Condes' apartment
Officials said at the time that the dad and his son were found together in the bedroom with no signs of trauma on their dead bodies. Cirencione said that it was cold in the apartment at the time and the heat was not on. He added that there were no signs of a struggle in the residence and they do not have any reason to believe anybody else was in the apartment when the Condes passed away.
According to The Democrat and Chronicle, Conde Sr. obtained custody of Conde Jr. shortly after his birth, and that the toddler's mom did not seem to be involved in the boy's life. Conde Jr.'s obituary stated that he had just learned to walk after undergoing several surgeries and months of rehabilitation due to an undisclosed medical condition, according to the New York Post.
