Boy Spends 2 Days Trapped in Apartment With Mom's Body

A 4-year-old boy in Buffalo, New York, is recovering after spending two days living on milk and maple syrup while trapped in an apartment with his dead mother, USA Today reports. A blood clot caused Shaleena Hamilton to fall down the stairs and break her neck earlier this month, according to Syracuse.com. Buffalo News reports neighbors could hear Hamilton's son Bryan yelling, "Mom, wake up! I'm hungry," but they didn't do anything, figuring kids are always complaining about being hungry. Police credit Taijuan Littleton, an employee at a Rent-A-Center where Hamilton was a frequent customer, for rescuing Bryan, according to USA Today. Littleton grew concerned when Hamilton didn't return his calls about an upcoming appointment. On Dec. 4—the third day of calling—Bryan answered the phone and said he couldn't wake his mom up.

Littleton rushed to Hamilton's home, where he could hear Bryan talking to his mom, Buffalo News reports. Littleton called 911 and, after convincing Bryan to open the door, kept the child warm until police arrived. Littleton brushed off praise from police. “Any decent human being would have done the same," he says. "I don’t think I did anything special.” But Littleton's wasn't the only good deed. Donated gifts have been pouring in from the community and police officers hoping to brighten Bryan's first Christmas without his mother. "It's just been overwhelming," one officer tells USA Today. Bryan's uncle plans to take custody. "All I can do is just pray that the little boy has a good childhood," Littleton says. "I hope that he grows up to be a good Samaritan." A GoFundMe page for Bryan can be found here. (More Good Samaritan stories.)