A 2-year-old boy survived for up to two days on pancake syrup and onions after his caretaker died in their home, police said.
The boy was found on Monday after a relative of Gladie Mae Johnson, 64, became concerned because she hadn’t heard from her.
When the relative knocked on the door of Johnson’s home, she heard knocking back from inside. She entered through an unlocked back door and found the boy and Johnson’s body.
Johnson was last seen alive on Friday and may have died on Saturday, Houston Police Department Sgt. Paul Motard said. She apparently died of natural causes.
Investigators found an open and nearly empty container of pancake syrup on the floor. Some onions also were found lying near Johnson’s body.
Johnson was a friend of the boy’s family and had been caring for him since last year, when his mother went to prison, Child Protective Services spokeswoman Estella Olguin said.
