BATON ROUGE - A child spent days inside an apartment with his dead mother's body before both were finally discovered Friday, police said. 

The body was found around 10 a.m. at an apartment building along North Boulevard near S 17th Street. Authorities confirm the 37-year-old woman was found dead in the residence along with the 2-year-old child who was still alive. 

The child, who was reportedly dehydrated, was taken to a hospital.

Both were found Friday morning after a maintenance worker spotted the child on a balcony. 

"The little boy, he was looking bad. You can see his ribs like he hadn't eaten in a couple of days," said Alfred Sparkman, who made the discovery.

Once he went to check on the second-floor apartment, he knew something was wrong. 

"I knew somebody was dead. Too many flies hovering around one window and then her alarm was going off," Sparkman said.

Police said it appeared the woman had been dead for at least a couple days and that she died of natural causes. They're not releasing her identity until they determine a specific cause of death.

The child's father was contacted Friday, and the city-parish sent a representative to ensure the boy was taken care of.