Thrissur | A woman and her five-year-old son were found dead at their residence in Ambalakkavu in this district on Tuesday, police said.

The deceased were identified as Shilpa (30) and her son Akshayajith (5).

Police suspect that the woman took her life after killing the child.

According to the police, the child was found lying on a bed inside the room, while the woman was found hanging nearby.

The victim's husband told the police that he was in the other room as he was unwell.

When the room remained locked for a long time in the morning, he went inside and found both of them dead, police said.

"It was suspected that the mother strangulated the baby, before killing herself. We can ascertain the exact cause of the death only after the post-mortem," a senior police officer said.

An investigation is underway to ascertain the circumstances leading to the deaths, police added.