Woman Charged in Death of Ruthie Ann Miles' Toddler at Crosswalk Has Died in Apparent Suicide
The woman whose car struck and killed two children, including the daughter of Broadway star Ruthie Ann Miles, has been found dead.
A friend checked on Dorothy Bruns, 44, after not hearing from her, an New York City Police Department rep tells PEOPLE. When police arrived, Bruns was unconscious and unresponsive in a bedroom with no obvious signs of trauma. She was pronounced dead on the scene by emergency medical responders.
Bruns died at her Staten Island residence by an apparent suicide, a second NYPD spokesperson tells PEOPLE.
She died of an overdose, according to a police source, and a note was found “expressing [her] desire to no longer live.”
In March, Bruns allegedly hit and killed two pedestrians in Brooklyn: Miles’ 4-year-old Abigail Blumenstein and a 1-year-old named Joshua Lew. Miles, who was seven months pregnant, and Lew’s mother Lauren, a friend of Miles, were injured.
Two months later, Miles’ family lawyer Ben Rubinowitz announced that Miles and her husband Jonathan Blumenstein had lost the baby they were expecting. They had named the child Sophia Rosemary Wong Blumenstein.
Earlier in May, a Brooklyn grand jury indicted Bruns. She was arraigned on charges of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and assault, a prosecution source told PEOPLE at the time.
The police source says that Bruns had only posted bail in the case last month.
Police sources previously told PEOPLE that Bruns claimed she experienced a seizure at the time of the March crash. Sources alleged that after running the red light, Bruns crashed into parked cars and dragged Lew’s stroller halfway down the street while the baby was in it.
She had previously been ticketed for driving through red lights.
RELATED VIDEO: Broadway Star Ruthie Ann Miles Loses Unborn Baby 2 Months After Daughter was Killed in Car Crash
“Abigail was excited to be a big sister,” a source told PEOPLE in March. “She was the brightest little spirit. Every time you were around her, your heart couldn’t help but shine. She had the sweetest laugh and the loveliest personality. She was very much like her mother.”
“Ruthie was a wonderful mother. She always put Abigail first and was really dedicated to spending time together,” the source continued. “The two had a very tight bond. They were inseparable.”
RELATED: Ruthie Ann Miles Is ‘Crushed’ After Losing Unborn Baby 2 Months After Daughter Was Killed
In August, Miles returned to the stage for the first time since the tragedy in the revival of The King and I, reprising the performance that won her a Tony Award in 2015.
“She is singing like an angel and commanding the stage with a heavenly force,” her costar Kelli O’Hara wrote on Twitter. “An inspiration to all. I knew you would want to know.”
