Allyson McConnell, who was convicted of manslaughter in the bathtub drownings of her two young sons south of Edmonton, has been found dead under a bridge in Australia where she was deported after she was sentenced, according to local media reports citing police sources.
A woman's body was discovered by a passerby Wednesday morning on rocks beneath Brian McGowan Bridge on Australia's central coast.
Australia's New South Wales police force released a statement saying the woman is believed to be a 35-year-old from Gosford, about an hour's drive north of Sydney. Gosford is McConnell's hometown.
Robert Ovadia, a senior reporter with Seven News in Sydney, told CBC News Network that a formal identification is expected Friday afternoon local time, but that all indications are it's McConnell.
"Police are very, very confident that it is Allyson McConnell ... Given that Miss McConnell had been reported missing yesterday, and given that a body has turned up that very much matches her description facially as well as personal effects on her, I think it's reasonable to say that it can be confirmed that it is her," he said.
Police have reportedly told Australian news outlets that the death is not considered suspicious.
In response to the report, Alberta Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk tweeted, "Mental health illness makes victims of all. Sad end to what already was a tragedy...."
McConnell's trial over the deaths of her sons, 2½-year-old Connor and 10-month-old Jayden, in Millet, Alta., heard she had a history of depression and suicide attempts that began when she became pregnant by her father when she was 15. She told the court she subsequently had a miscarriage at 10 weeks and told no one about it.
McConnell was given a six-year sentence and served 15 months in a psychiatric hospital, after taking into account time served before her trial, and was deported to Australia in April shortly after she was released.
The two children were found by their father, who was involved in an acrimonious divorce and custody fight with McConnell. The same day the father found his boys, she drove to Edmonton, jumped off a freeway overpass and seriously injured herself.
McConnell testified she would try to kill herself again because she didn't want to get well.
A psychiatrist testified McConnell likely meant to kill herself, but was so close to her children that she considered their lives extensions of her own.
Curtis McConnell fought against Allyson's deportation, saying through a released family statement that he feared sending her to Australia would mean an appeal of her case would never be heard.
Alberta Justice officials had said the province intended to appeal both McConnell's conviction and sentence. Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis said that if the Crown was successful in persuading the courts to increase McConnell's sentence, the province would try to extradite her from Australia to serve more time.
Curtis and Allyson McConnell, with sons Connor and Jayden, in an undated photo. (Facebook)
"She hasn't been on any sort of watch list from authorities or any sort of scrutiny whatsoever," Ovadia told CBC News of her time in Australia. "In fact, from what I understand she's been somewhat reclusive in her time here.
"Her history of suicide attempts is obviously very well-documented. I'm told that she has expressed suicidal thoughts since arriving home as well. So as sad as it to say, I guess that today seems somewhat of an inevitable conclusion."
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