Police: Autopsy Results Of Woman Found Dead In N.J. Apartment With Malnourished Son Inconclusive

UNION, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Autopsy results are inconclusive for a mother who was found dead in a New Jersey apartment where her emaciated 4-year-old son was living off sugar.

Union Township Police Director Daniel Zieser says an autopsy completed Thursday on 38-year-old Kiana Workman was not able to determine the cause or time of her death. Toxicology results are pending.

The Brooklyn woman's decomposing body was discovered Tuesday in her mother's apartment. Workman had moved there with her child after her mother was sent to a nursing home to recover from surgery.

Police discovered her body after maintenance workers reported a foul odor emanating from the chain-locked apartment.

They also found her son naked and malnourished. The boy weighed 26 pounds, well below average for his age. He told police he had been eating from a bag of sugar.

"He made a statement to the officer that 'there's plenty of food in the
refrigerator but I couldn't open the door.' So that's kind of sad that nobody
checked on him, no family members," Zieser said "It's sad, very sad."

The boy was released from hospital on Thursday and is now in temporary foster care.

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