Atlanta Deveney and teen son, Elijah Rosado, identified as bodies found under burning mattress
Philadelphia Police identified a woman and her child who were found dead and reportedly had other severe injuries before their bodies were found beneath a burning mattress over the weekend.
Atlanta Deveney, age 35, suffered head trauma, according to police.
Her son, 12-year-old Elijah Rosado, had been stabbed multiple times in the chest and neck.
Both bodies were found by firefighters after they put out a house fire. The apartment was searched and Deveney and Rosado were dead beneath a bloody mattress in the living room.
Philadelphia Police spokeswoman Christine O’Brien said the exact cause of death will be determined by an autopsy.
Police are looking for Deveney’s boyfriend, 25-year-old Carlos Rivera. He has not been labeled a suspect, but police say he is a strong person of interest in the case.
Rivera has a long history of domestic abuse and even has an open warrant for armed robbery related to an incident involving Deveney.
Captain James Clark says of Rivera, “Yes very, very abusive, he was very much known to police, but unfortunately she (Deveney) continued to deal with him.”
Details are still sketchy, but Clark offered one theory: “…is that he was physically assaulting the mother and the son came in and tried to come to her aid and with that he pulled out a knife and violently stabbed and killed the little boy.”