Last week in Norwalk, Ohio, a tragic incident occurred in which a two-year-old boy is believed to have caused the death of his mother, who was pregnant at the time. According to reports, the child had managed to acquire his father’s gun from a bedroom drawer and fired the weapon while playing. Laura Ilg, 31, made a call to 911 after being shot in the back and was found in an upstairs bedroom with her son. Emergency medical teams brought her to Fisher-Titus Medical Center, but medical personnel were unable to save the unborn baby. Laura ultimately succumbed to her injuries.
It has been reported that the gun was usually stored in a nightstand next to the couple’s bed, and that baby gates were set up to prevent the toddler from wandering off, but one of the gates had been left open. Laura informed the police that her son had gone into the room while she was doing laundry and began playing with the gun, not knowing that he had it until she was hit.
Alek Ilg, Laura’s husband who was at work at the time, paid tribute to his wife and son on Facebook. Their surviving son is now in the care of his father. The police are currently investigating the details of the firearm and how the toddler was able to discharge it.