Ohio Mom and Unborn Child Both Die When Two-Year-Old Discharges a Gun

Laura Ilg of Norwalk, Ohio, age 31, was shot in the back, reportedly by her two-year-old son, who had found a loaded 9mm pistol on a nightstand in his parents’ bedroom. Neither Ms. Ilg, nor the unborn child, survived.

Norwalk police responded to the home after Ms. Ilg had called 911 and reported what had happened. First responders found her behind a locked door upstairs. The woman and her son were the only ones home at the time.

According to a later report carrying the warning “distressing,” Police said “Ilg and her husband, Alek, normally kept the bedroom locked, but the child got into the room while she was doing laundry. Although the home was equipped with many child-safety features, several baby gates that were usually closed were left open at the time of the accident.” Other guns, including a 12 gauge shotgun, were found in the home during the investigation.

“There’s just no words,” the local police chief said amidst the ongoing investigation.

Source:

Joe Centers, “Woman, Unborn Son, Identified in Fatal Shooting,” Norwalk Reflector (June 19, 2023).

Jamila White, “A 2-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot His Pregnant Mother in a Tragic Accident in Ohio,” Now This News (June 23, 2023).