A 2-year-old child died after an apparent medical emergency at a home in Winthrop, Massachusetts, on Friday, authorities said.
No ambulance was available to respond to the home for the child in distress, high-level sources tell the NBC10 Investigators, and Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty confirmed that the city's fire chief drove the child to Massachusetts General Hospital in an attempt to prevent what he called a "horrible tragedy."
"The fire department has done a heroic job today and made decisive decisions under emergency conditions to get this child the medical treatment necessary as soon as possible, and we thank them for their service," Delehanty said.
The Suffolk County District Attorney confirmed that the child had died in a statement: "The initial investigation into the death of a two-year-old in Winthrop today indicates no signs of foul play or physical trauma. We are awaiting an autopsy to determine cause of death."
State police told NBC10 Boston that detectives were assisting with an investigation involving a toddler in Winthrop but didn't share more information.
The child hasn't been identified, and Delehanty said what led to the death remained under investigation as of Friday afternoon.
Investigators were seen going in and out of the home on Pleasant Street Friday afternoon.
First responders across Massachusetts have been pushing to find more paramedics and EMTs amid a wave of early retirements and people leaving for jobs in other medical fields during the COVID pandemic.
Winthrop contracts out its ambulance services. NBC10 Boston is reaching out to the company it contracts with.
Another company, Cataldo Ambulance, told NBC10 Boston it was called to Winthrop as mutual aid, but that while a vehicle was en route, the fire department canceled the call. A representative referred other questions to the Winthrop Fire Department.
NBC10 Boston has reached out to the Department of Children and Families.
While Delehanty didn't confirm the address of the incident, sources said the incident took place at the home of former Winthrop Police Lt. James Feeley, who has been charged with child rape and remained behind bars as of Friday.
It wasn't immediately clear if there was any connection between Feeley and the toddler who died.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
It wasn't immediately clear when Feeley stopped being a member of the department. Delehanty would only say at a news conference Friday that, "We have severed our ties with him."
