Swine flu possibly kills 9 year old boy

Stamford police investigating the death of a 9-year-old boy are considering the possibility that the death was linked to swine flu, but they are doing so only as a precaution, not based on any evidence that the boy had the disease, a police spokesman said.

"It's precautionary," Lt. Sean Cooney said. "Given the environment in which we find ourselves and the fact that we have a 9-year-old boy who has died and we've uncovered no signs of foul play to this point, it would be foolish for us not to consider the possibility."

Cooney said the boy's family is Albanian and interviews have been slowed because of the language barrier, so it was not yet clear if the boy had any symptoms or travel history that would suggest he had swine flu.

The boy was found in his bed shortly after 7 a.m. today, not breathing. Police and paramedics responded but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the boy may have suffered from some underlying health issues.