Raquel Wilkins and son Petco deaths ruled murder suicide as family disputes findings following mother and son, 2, falling from San Diego stadium in September.
San Diego investigators have announced that a mother and her toddler son who died when they fell from a concourse at the city’s major league baseball stadium last year died as a result of a murder-suicide – inferring that the mother had intentionally killed herself and her child in tow. A ruling that the family dispute.
Police said the deaths of Raquel Wilkins, 40, and Denzel Browning-Wilkins, 2, were suspicious at the time. The mother and son fell to their deaths before the commencement of a Major League Baseball game.
Wilkins and her son were at a game at Petco Park on September 25 with the boy’s father, Christopher Browning. Witnesses reported that Wilkins had been standing on a bench near the railing, holding the baby in her arms, when she fell.
One witness said she fell from the bench to the floor once, but got back onto the bench before going over the railing.
Authorities calculated that the mother and son tumbled at the equivalent height of a six-story building the LaTimes reported.
Blame the victim
Police said they had conducted an extensive investigation since that time, including ‘dozens of interviews, reviewing of available video footage and collecting background information to determine what led to the deaths,’ KNSD reported.
Of note, City of San Diego owns 70% of Petco Park — a fact an attorney representing Wilkins’ father considers suspicious.
‘To me, the City is acting like any other defendant in a lawsuit: blame the victim, especially if they’re not able to defend themselves,’ attorney Dan Gilleon told KWSB.
A regard of Raquel Wilkins Facebook page contained several posts which suggested she was engaged to be married on Sept. 21, 2021 — just days before her death.
Officials said they would ‘not be making any further comment on the case,’ adding that the family had asked for privacy.
The San Diego Padres, who play at Petco Park, released a statement reiterating their ‘deepest sympathy and condolences to the family of those involved in this tragedy.’
Wilkins’ family also released a statement which said there was nothing wrong with Wilkins.
‘The family remembers Raquel as a person who was happy and loved life,’ the family stated. ‘In our experiences through her life, Raquel never expressed or displayed any self harming tendencies.’
