A woman convicted of killing her two sons in Alberta has been found dead under a bridge in the Australian Central Coast town of Gosford, according to multiple media reports.
Australian TV station 7 News is reporting that the body is believed to be that of Allyson McConnell, 35, who was deported from Canada in early April after receiving an early release from a psychiatric hospital in Edmonton. McConnell is an Australian national.
The police report said that a member of the public reported seeing a body lying on rocks underneath Brian McGowan Bridge on Brisbane Water Drive at West Gosford on Wednesday morning.
The Daily Telegraph in Sydney reported that the death is not considered suspicious.
"The woman will not be formally identified until later this week however police believe it is a 35-year-old from Gosford," the police statement said. "A post mortem examination will be conducted to find the cause of death however it is not believed to be suspicious."
Robert Ovadia, a reporter from 7 News, told CTV's Canada AM that police in Gosford are "very confident" the woman is McConnell.
McConnell had served 15 months of a six-year manslaughter sentence for drowning her two boys, two-year-old Connor and 10-month-old Jayden, in the bathtub at their home in near Edmonton, in 2010.
The boys were found by their father, Curtis McConnell. At the time of their discovery, he was involved in a bitter divorce and custody fight over the two boys.
Ronalee McConnell, Curtis' sister, forwarded a brief statement on behalf of their family to CTV Edmonton Wednesday.
"Our thoughts are with Allyson's family and we send our condolences," she said in an email.
On the same day the boys were discovered dead, McConnell drove to Edmonton and jumped off a busy freeway overpass, seriously injuring herself.
McConnell was originally charged with second-degree murder. During her trial, court heard that McConnell was severely depressed and suicidal when she killed her children.
McConnell had told the court that she has struggled with depression throughout her life. She also told the court that she had tried to commit suicide several times, starting after she was impregnated by her father at the age of 15.
"I've done that reasonably often throughout the years. I'd be writing a list of ways I could kill myself in the shower," she said. She told the trial that she would likely attempt to kill herself again, because she didn't want to get better.
During the trial, a psychiatrist testified that McConnell had intended to kill herself but ended up killing her children because she considered them an extension of her own life.
McConnell's mother, Helen Meager, had told an Australian newspaper earlier this year that her daughter had continued to suffer after her release. "She's not well and we still have the appeal to get through. Right now we want to get her better and settled."
Justice officials from Alberta had said they were planning to appeal McConnell's conviction and sentence.
Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis said if the Crown was successful in arguing to increase her sentence, Alberta would attempt to extradite her from Australia so she could serve more time.
With files from CTVNews.ca Staff, CTV Edmonton and The Canadian Press
