TRIBUTES have poured in for the Wagga mother who lay dead on her kitchen floor for at least three days, while her toddler sat beside her, severely dehydrated and crying.
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Flowers now adorn the door at the Ashmont home where the woman who cannot be identified for legal reasons, who suffered from epilepsy, died while her two-year-old daughter remained trapped, possibly surviving on Easter eggs.
It is not yet known if a epileptic seizure was the cause of the 36-year-old’s death and police are continuing with investigations.
“We do know she was suffering from an illness and whether that has any connection with her death is unknown,” Detective Inspector Jeff Barr said.
“At this stage there is nothing to indicate there were suspicious circumstances.”
According Riverina Ambulance Inspector Eamonn Purcell, the toddler could have been left alone for as long as five days and was suffering from severe dehydration, a high pulse and shock.
But because the girl’s blood-sugar levels were stable, it is believed she survived on Easter eggs, although no wrappers were found.
Yesterday, friends were still coming to terms with the tragic situation that surrounded the unexpected death.
One of those people is Amanda Westerway, who said she will always remember the woman as someone who was selfless, kind and loved her daughter more than anything.
“She was an incredible support to me,” she said.
“When my brother died, I very nearly died from grief, and she stopped that from happening.
“People like her are rare – they have no evil in them and it’s almost like they’re too good for this world.”
She said the woman was a fantastic mother and a talented painter who created many deep and thought-provoking portraits.
“She desperately loved her daughter from the time she fell pregnant,” she said.
“That little girl was the centre of her universe.”
The woman was found by Church of Christ Pastor Ross Brinkman, who knocked on the door of the 36-year-old’s house after a concerned neighbour, who is a nun, called him for assistance.
But when no one answered while the noise of a television played and the girl cried, the pastor removed a flyscreen from a window on the house, according to police reports.
It was then the terrible scene was revealed.
Emergency services rushed to the home at 3.10pm and the toddler was transported to Wagga Base Hospital where she remains in stable condition and is reportedly improving.
