<!--Rick Pfeiffer--><table width="234" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" background="http://static.cnhi.zope.net/flashpromo/niagaragazette/images/byline_234x60.jpg" height="60"><tr><td><div align="center"><font size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By Rick Pfeiffer</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="mailto:rick.pfeiffer@niagara-gazette.com">rick.pfeiffer@niagara-gazette.com</a></font></div></td></tr></table>
Homicide has been ruled out as a cause in the suspicious death of a 25-year-old Niagara Falls woman in her apartment in the 1900 block of Pine Avenue.
“The (medical examiner) says it’s not a homicide,” Falls Detective Capt. William Thomson said. “What it is, is pending the results of toxicology testing.”
Those tests could take several weeks to complete. An autopsy was performed Thursday morning at the Erie County Medical Center.
Investigators were initially baffled by the discovery of the woman’s body Wednesday afternoon, after officers responded to 911 calls from the woman’s neighbors who reported they had been hearing a baby crying for hours and were concerned.
“The officers couldn’t get anyone to open the door,” Thomson said. “So they broke the door down and discovered the body on the floor.”
Because there were no outward signs of trauma to the woman’s body, investigators were not sure what might have caused her death.
“There were some pills and nasal spray and some energy drinks nearby,” Thomson said. “The combination of those could cause (medical problems).”
Investigators are still trying to determine exactly how long the woman had been dead. They have speculated she may have been deceased for as long as a day.
A 2-year-old child, believed to be the woman’s son, was also found in the apartment. The child appeared to be unharmed and in good condition and was turned over to the custody of his paternal grandmother.
“The child is doing fine,” Thomson said Wednesday.
The woman’s name is still being withheld pending the notification of her next of kin.
