Last week in Norwalk, Ohio, a two-year-old boy is thought to have caused the death of his pregnant mother by accident.
He had allegedly gotten ahold of his father’s gun, stored in the bedroom drawer, and fired the weapon while playing. Laura Ilg, 31, called 911 after being hit in the back, and was found with her son in an upstairs bedroom.
Emergency medical service members rushed her to the Fisher-Titus Medical Center, where doctors attempted to save the unborn child, but were unsuccessful. Ilg later died from her injuries.
It was shared that the gun was usually kept in a nightstand next to the couple’s bed, and that there were baby gates set up throughout the home to prevent the toddler from straying unattended, but one of them had been left open. Ilg had told police that her son had gotten into the room while she was doing laundry and started playing with the gun, not realizing he had it until she was struck.
Her husband Alek Ilg, who was at work at the time, posted a tribute to his wife and son on Facebook. Their surviving son is being cared for by his father. The police are investigating the function of the firearm and how the toddler was able to activate it.