A young child who died in Thomaston on Wednesday had a previous medical issue, according to the Courier-Gazette.
The 22-month-old boy had come to Maine with his family from Louisiana and was in the parking lot of the Walmart in Thomaston when he was found unresponsive, local Police Chief Tim Hoppe told the newspaper.
The toddler had reportedly been ill, and his parents were loading groceries into the car when he was found, according to the Gazette.
His mother was a traveling nurse, and another nurse who was in the area reportedly tried to provide emergency medical care until police and rescue workers arrived, the newspaper reported.
The child was brought to Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, where he was pronounced dead.
Hoppe was off of work on Friday and didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Maine State Police said Thursday that it is investigating the case, as is standard in all child deaths. The agency declined to share more information on Friday morning.
The toddler has now undergone an autopsy, but Lindsey Chasteen, an administrator in the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, said the cause and manner of death are being withheld as an investigation continues.
