Police are investigating the “suspicious” deaths of a woman and her 2-year-old son who plunged the equivalent of six floors Saturday at Petco Park moments before the Atlanta Braves were set to play the San Diego Padres.
Authorities have not identified the 40-year-old woman and her toddler but revealed they were from the San Diego area, reports said.
Police told the San Diego Union-Tribune the deaths “appeared to be suspicious,” although investigators have not concluded whether the fall was intentional or occurred as the result of an accident.
The child’s father was also at the ballpark when the incident happened, police told the newspaper.
The victims were pronounced dead at 4:11 p.m., shortly before the first pitch, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The pair fell from the third-level concourse, which is about six stories high, and onto the sidewalk along Tony Gwynn Drive, San Diego Police Department Lt. Andra Brown told the newspaper.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of life at Petco Park last evening. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of those involved. We will continue to refrain from comment on the nature of the incident as it is an ongoing investigation by the San Diego Police Department."
The pair had been seen in a concession area with picnic tables beforehand, and apparently some people at the stadium witnessed the fall, according to the Union-Tribune.
One man told the newspaper that his wife saw the woman fall while trying to grab the toddler, although authorities had not confirmed exactly what happened.
A spokesperson for the Padres was unable to immediately shed light on the incident.
“Due to the ongoing investigation, we are not able to comment further at this time. All media inquiries should be directed to SDPD,” Padres vice president of communications Craig Hughner said in a statement.
By Sunday, the team issued an official statement on the matter:
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of life at Petco Park last evening,” the team said, according to the Union-Tribune. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of those involved. We will continue to refrain from comment on the nature of the incident as it is an ongoing investigation by the San Diego Police Department.”
Police are continuing to investigate and have asked anyone who witnessed the incident to call the San Diego police at 619-531-2293 or leave a tip with Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
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