Law-enforcement investigators have released the cause of death for a San Diego mother and her child who died last fall outside Petco Park.
The deaths last September of Raquel Wilkins, 40, and her 2-year-old son, Denzel Browning-Wilkins, were deemed suspicious at the time. It turns out they were correct. The pair died of traumatic injuries when they fell from the concourse and landed on the sidewalk at Tony Gwynn Way.
According to a statement from the San Diego Police Department in consultation with the San Diego County Medical Examiner, the death of Raquel Wilkins was ruled a suicide. Authorities ruled that the death of her 2-year-old son, Denzel Browning-Wilkins, was a homicide.
The child’s father was also at the ballpark during the time of the deaths.
The pair fell from a dining and concessions area on the third-floor concourse to a sidewalk below — the equivalent of six stories high.
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“The police department understands the interest in this tragic event and the questions that have arisen,” an SDPD representative said at the time. “How and why this happened are questions on the mind of many, especially the investigators looking for answers in this heartbreaking case.”
After the police released the death classifications on Wednesday, the San Diego Padres released the following statement via a spokesman: “In light of today’s statement from the San Diego Police Department, we want to reiterate our deepest sympathy and condolences to the family of those involved in this tragedy.”
