Drug Death of Boy, 10, Linked to Suicide Plot
Los Angeles police Monday found a 10-year-old boy dead and his father comatose, both from apparent drug overdoses, in what they believe was a murder and an attempted suicide.
The body of the boy, whose name was not released, and his father, Ronald Rennie, 38, were found in the upstairs bedroom of Rennie’s town home in the 12600 block of Ralston Avenue in Sylmar about 11 a.m., said Lt. Steve Day of the Child Abuse Unit.
How long the boy had been dead and the official cause of his death would be determined by an autopsy, police said.
Rennie was in stable condition in the jail ward of County-USC Medical Center, where he was booked on suspicion of murder, authorities said.
“My last information was that he (Rennie) was going to live, but that he’s not responsive to questions,” Day said.
An attorney called police early Monday after he received a letter from Rennie, his client, Day said. The letter said that by the time the attorney read it, both Rennie and the boy would be dead.
“We have been in contact with the mother but need to interview her more thoroughly,” Day said.
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