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Authorities investigate death of 2-year-old in Lowell

Print Posted by David Jrolf September 1, 2010 08:33 PM

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By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff

LOWELL — Authorities are investigating the death of a 2-year-old boy in Lowell, who his mother said had suffered a seizure.

The office of Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. said that police responded to a residence on Bridge Street early this afternoon for an unresponsive child. The child, who was not identified, was taken to Lowell General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Leone’s office said. The statement did not describe the manner of death, which remains under investigation.

Deanne Fontes, 17, told reporters outside the home that she was the mother of the deceased child, who she identified as Dean McCulloch. She said that the toddler had had a seizure, and that her boyfriend gave the boy mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

‘I didn’t hurt my child,’’ she said, tearing up. ‘‘I would never, ever hurt my child.’’

She added that she had been questioned by police and she has no idea how Dean died. "They’re just looking at all possibilities,’’ she said.

Fontes said she lives at the apartment with her 2-year-old, her boyfriend, Brian Nutter, 28, her 3-year-old son, Thomas, and her mother and her brother. Nutter is not the father of her children, she said.

According to Fontes, her son Dean was found unresponsive today shortly after he was put down for a nap. ‘‘(He) was not breathing, [he was] shaking,’’ she said.

A spokeswoman for Leone would only call the probe a ‘‘death’’ investigation when asked if authorities were working on a homicide case.

A Lowell police officer was standing outside the multi-family dwelling at 586-588 Bridge St. this evening. He declined comment. Lowell police headquarters referred questions to Leone’s office.

Sin Sophat, 44, who lives in the two-story, gray building, said the mother of the dead child lives in the unit with her boyfriend.

Sophat said his wife told him that she heard an infant crying in the mother’s apartment early this morning.

He said the child’s mother and her boyfriend fight often, and he once saw the mother shortly after an argument. ‘‘I saw that girl cry and cry,’’ he said.

The couple owns a large dog, he added.

Neighbors and people coming and going from the home tonight described the neighborhood as a safe area.

‘‘It’s a quiet block,’’ said one man, who like many others would not give his name.

Sophat said the landlord of the property was a man named Walter and provided his phone number. A man who picked up the phone at that number said he was the landlord and that he had been instructed not to comment.

Leone’s office said an autopsy will be conducted by the office of the chief medical examiner to determine the cause of death.

Travis Andersen can be reached at tandersen@globe.com.