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Norwalk police: Pregnant mother dies after being shot in back by 2-year-old child

The victim called 911 and said her son had shot her, and she later died at the hospital.

NORWALK, Ohio — Police have confirmed a woman and her unborn child are dead after she was apparently shot by her 2-year-old son last Friday.

According to a press release from the Norwalk Police Department, 31-year-old Laura Ilg called police at 1:11 p.m. on June 16, stating that she was shot in the back by her two-year-old son. Illg also informed the dispatcher that she was 33 weeks pregnant.

Moments later, Ilk's husband called 911, stating that he had received a call from his wife "screaming about my son and needing to call 911."

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Officers arrived on scene at 1:14 p.m. ET and forced entry into the residence, where they found Laura and her two-year-old son in the upstairs master bedroom, along with a Sig Sauer P365 Micro-Compact Semi-automatic pistol. The two-year-old son was removed from the room at the request of Laura as officers began rendering aid.

Laura was fully conscious during this time and gave officers a complete accounting of the events as her statements were captured on the officer's body cameras. Her husband later arrived on scene.

Laura was transported to Fisher-Titus Medical Center, where an emergency cesarean section took place. Laura's unborn son was pronounced dead at approximately 2:08 p.m. and she was pronounced dead at 5:10 p.m.

"The Norwalk Police Department offers our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and all those affected by the tragic passing of the young mother and her unborn son," the department said in a statement. "Words truly cannot express how heartbreaking this is, and we cannot imagine the pain and heartache you're feeling."

The Sig Sauer pistol, along with a spent shell casing, were seized during the initial investigation. Later, the police department conducted a search warrant, with officers observing "numerous child safety features," including safety gates at almost every doorway and child locks on all accessible drawers. Detectives seized an additional loaded 12 round magazine for the Sig Sauer pistol from a nightstand in the master bedroom, the same location where the couple said the firearm was kept. A Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun with six rounds in the tube was also seized from a closet in the master bedroom and a Colt M4A1 Carbine AirSoft Rifle was also seized from a computer room closet.

An investigation into the case remains ongoing, with no criminal charges being filed at this time. The case will be forwarded to the Huron County Prosecutor's Office.

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the woman's husband had called 911. The article has since been updated with the correct information.

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