US toddler survives six days alongside dead mom - eating cat food

Brisbane, June 29 : In what can be described as a 'miracle', a two-year-old boy survived alongside the body of his mother who had apparently been dead for at least six days - on cat food.

The child named Noah and his mother were discovered after police forced their way into their home in North Sacramento, California's Hagginwood neighbourhood, said police Officer Konrad Von Schoech.

The boy was found by a Sacramento County Child Protective Services (CPS) worker, who had gone to check on the family that morning as the mother suffered from chronic illness.

No one answered the door, but the worker heard the child crying inside and called 911.

Once inside the home, police and firefighters found the mother's body, Von Schoech said.

Investigators said that the boy was able to survive by eating "whatever was in sight and within reach," he said.

"At this point, we're looking at it as a miracle that this kid survived such a tragedy, especially with being locked in this house with no access to the outside world," Brisbane Times quoted Von Schoech, as saying.

Police believe that the mother had been dead for up to six days and the boy had been eating cat food and other items to survive.

The tot is undergoing medical tests and was placed in protective custody. Mother and son lived alone in the brick duplex.

ANI