Authorities in California announced Wednesday that the falling deaths of a 40-year-old woman and her 2-year-old son at a San Diego Padres game Sept. 25 have officially been ruled a suicide-homicide.
The San Diego Police Department said the manner of death for Raquel Wilkins and son Denzel Browning-Wilkins was determined after a thorough investigation.
“The detectives conducted a thorough and comprehensive investigation that included dozens of interviews, reviewing of available video footage and collecting background information to determine what led to the deaths,” a police department statement said.
San Diego Police determined that the cause of death of a 40-year-old woman and her 2-year-old son who plunged from the third level of Petco Park last year.
(AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
Wilkins was holding her son when she fell to her death over a railing of a third-level dining area at Petco Park in September. Her son died as a result of the fall.
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Witnesses said at the time that they saw Wilkins jumping on table benches nearest the railing, and she appeared to lose her balance before eventually falling over. Police initially said that the deaths “appeared to be suspicious.”
The San Diego Police Department said in a statement that the determination of Raquel Wilkins’ and Denzel Browning-Wilkins’ deaths came after a thorough investigation.
(Andy Hayt/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)
Dan Gilleon, an attorney for Wilkins’ family, disputed the findings and said the deaths were a tragic accident. He said the investigation’s conclusion is meant to shield the city from potential litigation.
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A general view of a game at Petco Park.
(Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports)
“The city doesn’t want to explain why it concluded that a young mother would kill her only child at an event where witnesses said she was happy,” Gilleon told The Associated Press. “To me, the city is acting like any other defendant in a lawsuit: blame the victim, especially if they are not able to defend themselves.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
