A baby found in a car seat in the middle of a Massachusetts street recently led police to a grisly crime scene.
The events leading up to the shocking discovery began at about 11:56 p.m. Saturday, when a motorist in Worcester contacted police and reported finding an infant strapped to a car seat in the middle of Lovell Street.
When police and paramedics arrived on the scene, they examined the child and discovered it was a baby boy, who is about 6 months old. The child appeared to be unharmed, but was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
While canvassing the area, police were told by a local resident that the baby might belong to a woman living in a first-floor apartment at 326 Lovell Street. When police went to the residence to investigate, they heard sounds of a person in distress coming from inside and immediately entered, Worcester police Sgt. Kerry Hazelhurst told The Huffington Post Tuesday.
When officers entered the residence, they found two women, ages 36 and 18, and one man bound and gagged. The women were both severely injured and transported to the hospital in critical condition. The man, who has since been identified as 32-year-old Javier Maldonado, was pronounced dead.
Police also found a pit bull inside the residence. The dog was uninjured and taken away by an animal control officer.
Authorities have yet to identify the female victims, but did say the younger woman is the mother of the 6-month-old boy. The baby is healthy and has been placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Families, police said.
An autopsy was completed Monday on Maldonado, but authorities have not yet released the results. Investigators are also not releasing details on the injuries sustained by the two women, but local media outlets have reported they suffered multiple stab wounds. Both women are unconscious and have been unable to make a statement to police.
Authorities do not believe the killing and assaults were random and say they discovered drug activity inside the home.
On Sunday night, authorities were called to another apartment building, located approximately a mile-and-a-half northeast of Lovell Street, to investigate a homicide. Police discovered the body of 25-year-old Nestor Ramirez at the residence. The victim had suffered a single gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police found narcotics and drug paraphernalia at the residence. Investigators have not disclosed what types of drugs were found at either residence, but have said they have found no evidence linking the two incidents.
In regard to Maldonado’s murder, Hazelhurst said investigators are still trying to determine what happened.
"We have nothing at this point," the veteran officer told HuffPost.
Anyone with information in the cases is asked to call The Worcester Police Department at 508-799-8651. Anonymous web-based messages can also be sent via worcesterma.gov/police.