Mom, son who died in pond had been returning from therapy

ROXANA, Ill. (AP) - Relatives say a mother and her 7-year-old son had been returning from an autism therapy session when their minivan ended up in a suburban St. Louis retention pond.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that autopsies completed Thursday indicated that 34-year-old Ashly Maynard, and her son, Vincent Maynard, drowned. But a final cause of death won't be decided until toxicology tests are completed.

The bodies were found early Wednesday after a motorist spotted headlights in the water near Roxana, Illinois.

The boy's paternal grandmother, Mary Maynard of East Alton, described her nonverbal grandson as a 'œgift from God'ť and his mother as a forward-thinker.

Madison County Sheriff John Lakin has said that although there were no skid marks at the scene, there is no indication so far that what happened was intentional.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com