Discovery of dehydrated toddler leads to 2 bodies

[Janice]

LEHIGH ACRES, Florida (AP) -- Two people were found dead inside a home in southwest Florida after a dehydrated toddler was discovered in a highchair outside the home, authorities said.

Police officials didn't release the names or ages of the victims, or say whether the child was related to the two.

They also didn't reveal how the victims died beyond saying that their deaths were suspicious.

The child was treated for dehydration Monday afternoon and has recovered, Lee County sheriff's spokeswoman Ileana Foell said. She said the toddler didn't appear to have any other injuries.

No arrests have been made.

[Aquawind]

I am amazed the child was even alive down in this heat..


http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 25023/1075

Latest News -- Posted 1:44 P.m.
Lehigh murders remain a mystery
By Grant Boxleitner
gboxleitner@news-press.com
Originally posted on July 25, 2006



Lee County sheriff’s officials remain tight-lipped today about two people found dead Monday inside a Lehigh Acres home.

"There is nothing new to report at this time," Sheriff Mike Scott said. "We are being very guarded in our comments, but I assure you we are on top of it. We are following through on everything and trying to be thorough. There are a lot of things that we need to do before we make an arrest, especially for murder."

Crime scene units continue to comb through the house at 4968 S.W. 24th St. this morning, but no one is talking about the victims or a possible motive.

The names of the two people who died inside have not been released. Sheriff's spokeswoman Ileana Foell has confirmed only that they died of unnatural causes.

An incident report released today says that when a woman found the bodies she noticed a "large amount of blood in the residence."

Autopsies are expected to be conducted on the bodies today at the Lee County Medical Examiner’s Office in Fort Myers.

Whitney Mendez, 19, who, along with Lori Stone, 49, rents the home from David English, 59, of Fort Myers — has not logged onto her MySpace.com personal Web page since Saturday.

Mendez uses the Web address http://www.myspace.com/blessedmomma87, and her screen name is WiFeY mAtErIaL. Her site includes photographs of family and friends and answers to personal surveys. She lists her home town as Lakeland and mentions she’ll soon be Georgia.

Mendez’s 2-year-old son, Javon, was confined to a high chair for hours Monday until a neighbor alerted authorities, who then made the gruesome discovery inside the house. The child suffered dehydration and was taken to an area hospital. He’s expected to recover.

A phone call placed today to the home by news-press.com went to an answering machine message identifying “Lori and Whitney.”