CROMWELL, Conn — The death of a child who was found unresponsive in the Connecticut River in Cromwell and a crash at a nearby highway is being investigated as possibly being connected by Connecticut State Police.
The chain of events started with state police responding to a crash on Rt. 9 South in the area of Exit 25 in Cromwell. Police said when they arrived, they found one of the vehicles unoccupied.
During the investigation, police determined that a woman and a young child were seen walking away from the crash and down an embankment next to the highway. Police said it is unclear whether the pair went down the bank intentionally or by mistake.
Some hours later, a woman who was wearing similar clothing and matching the description of the person who left the crash was found walking along Rt. 9 North without the child, police. She was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
Not long after, an unresponsive child was found nearby in a rocky area of the Connecticut River. The child was taken to the hospital where they were later declared dead.
The Department of Children and Families was notified of the incident. The child's body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington for examination. Police said the identities of the woman and child will not be released at this time, due to the active and ongoing nature of this investigation.
Portland Fire Chief Bob Shea says that firefighters aboard Portland Marine 7 did pull a child from the river while assisting the Cromwell Fire Department on a rescue call. The child was taken to Middlesex Hospital. Portland is on the other side of the river from Cromwell.
Connecticut State Police have taken over the investigation.
Doug Stewart is a Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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