Mother of Two-Year-Old Girl Found Dead in Auburn Dies of Possible Overdose

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Thursday, September 03, 2015

GoLocalWorcester News Team

Tragedy has again struck the family of two-year-old Avalena Conway Coxon, who died in her foster home in Auburn last month. On Wednesday afternoon, the girl's mother, 27-year-old Jessica Conway, was pronounced dead after she was found unresponsive at an apartment on Orne Street in Worcester.

According to the Worcester Police Department, shortly after 3 PM, emergency personnel responded to the apartment for a report of an unresponsive female that was later identified as Conway. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital at 3:40 PM.

Police said they believe the cause of death could be drug related based on information provided by family members and evidence collected inside the apartment. The exact cause of death is still pending until the completion of a post mortem examination and until toxicology results are received.

This is an active and ongoing investigation.

According to GoLocalWorcester legal expert AiVi Nguyen, "In Avalena’s situation, her birth mother, Jessica Conway, was struggling with addiction and was incarcerated, making her unable to care for Avalena. Conway was released from jail on August 9, less than a week before her daughter’s death. Similarly, the birth father, Ronald Green, Jr. was unable to care for Avalena because of addiction and incarceration issues. Without any family or extended family suitable to care for Avalena stepping up to the plate in the absence of her birth parents, Avalena was placed in foster care."

Avalena was found dead in Auburn last month. Avalena's foster mother reported that Avalena and another foster child, 22-months-old, were unresponsive. Avalena died in the hospital. This investigation is also ongoing.