Authorities are investigating after a toddler found at a Palmdale park was pronounced dead Wednesday.
Deputies responded to an unresponsive child at Melville J. Courson Park located at 38226 10th Street East shortly before 9 a.m., according to the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station.
The child is reportedly a boy who is nearly 2 years old, according to neighbors who knew him.
The boy was found at a playground by arriving deputies. He was rushed to the Antelope Valley Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Neighbors said the child lives with his father in an apartment complex across the street from the park. His father had initially called the authorities for help.
“My boyfriend woke me up this morning and told me that a little boy had passed out at the park and stopped breathing,” said Destiny Tibbs, the boy’s neighbor. “The police who came knocking at my door asked if we had cameras and if we saw anything but we told them no. He was really devastated and I am too because that’s really sad. It’s a 3-year-old boy.”
Tibbs said authorities believed something may have happened to the child inside his home before his death. They said the toddler had no prior medical history or known ailments.
Homicide detectives were seen investigating the playground and the boy’s residence while interviewing neighbors. The playground was cordoned off by crime scene tape as law enforcement surrounded the park.
The child’s cause of death remains unclear. His identity was not released and no arrests have been made yet.
Neighbors and parents in the area were distraught upon hearing of the boy’s death, noting the park and surrounding areas are known for drug activity.