The cries of a small child for their mom inside a parked car startled passersby who then contacted police on Tuesday.
Officers said that the toddler was found alone in the car at about 5:30 p.m. and apparent footprints in the snow led them to find the bodies of the missing mom and another child in the Rockaway River.
“Canvas of the area revealed a female adult, approximately mid-30s, and a male child, approximately 11 years old, were found in the water at the top of the waterfall that the river goes into,” Morris County Prosecutor Robert Caroll said.
“It’s obviously a very sad day when children are involved in this type of situation. It’s a horrible situation.”
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation, though detectives believe the woman is the mom of the child left in the parked car.