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Questions Remain After Child Dies At Auburn Foster Home

AUBURN (CBS) -- There is still mystery surrounding the death of two-year-old Avalena Conway Coxon.

There are also no answers about why a 22-month-old girl also living in the Auburn foster home clings to life in what authorities described this week as "dire condition."

On Thursday, the Boston Globe reported the toddler in critical condition was "found with skin that was hot to the touch and an elevated temperature as well as bruising that may be consistent with a seat belt harness."

The symptoms suggest the child may have been overheated, the newspaper said.

Authorities have removed items from the foster home and also towed the foster mother's SUV, but provided few details surrounding their investigation.

They have not characterized it as criminal and have repeatedly said many unanswered questions remain as they await toxicology results.

This week, state leaders revealed they had not been notified about a boyfriend who apparently has spent a significant amount of time at the foster home.

Court records reviewed by WBZ show a lengthy criminal background, including felony convictions in Florida for grand theft and animal cruelty in 2005.

More recently, the 33-year-old was charged with a robbery in March, a case that is currently pending in Worcester County District Court.

There are also questions about how many people were living in the government-subsidized home.

The Department of Children and Families allows up to six children in a home. The foster mother was caring for three children of her own, along with three foster children.

However, the director of the Auburn Housing Authority, Lori Brennan, told WBZ that many people would have never been approved to live in the three-bedroom property.

Brennan said she wished DCF would've notified the housing authority, but the child welfare agency said it does not have the responsibility to alert landlords about foster children.

"Something has to change," Brennan said.

Family members announced Avalena's funeral will be held Friday in Marlborough.

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