The cries of a 6-year-old boy lead authorities to find the bodies of his mother and older brother in a New Jersey pond, officials said.
Warda Syed, 35, and her 11-year-old son, Uzair Ahmed, were recovered from a river in Grace Lord Park in Boonton on Tuesday, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.
Her 6-year-old, who authorities did not identify, was on the shore and desperately "calling for the mother," police said during a press conference.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they found the panicked child, and footprints heading into the water which lead them to discover the bodies, officials said, NJ.com reported.
© Provided by New York Daily NewsWarda Syed
Warda Syed with her son, Uzair Syed.
The deaths are under investigation and authorities offered no details regarding how the woman and child died.
Syed had suffered several tragic loses to the coronavirus in recent weeks, according to NBC 4 News.
"Her brother died of coronavirus two weeks ago," Dr. Abdul Raja, who said a cousin rented an apartment to Syed, told the news outlet.
In addition, he said, Syed's sister in Pakistan died of COVID-19 just three days ago.
The 35-year-old Boonton woman's husband also suffers from stage 4 cancer and has been hospitalized, the doctor told News 4.
Despite those tragedies, he said he did not believe her death was intentional.
"It's certainly a sad day here in Boonton," Morris County Sheriff James Gannon said at the press conference Wednesday.
"We're gonna spend some time on this, obviously, and do a thorough investigation to ensure that we find the facts out as to what happened here," he said.