The parents of a four-year-old boy who died early Monday morning have been charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life, Toronto police have confirmed.

Police sources told CBC News that police are investigating allegations that the boy had been forced to stand for long periods of time and whether that may have contributed to his death.

A four-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics at this home in the Finch Avenue and Leslie Street area in the early morning hours Monday. (Natalie Kalata/CBC) Paramedics were called to a residence in a townhouse complex in the Finch Avenue and Leslie Street area of North York around 2 a.m. Monday. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cecilia Frank, a neighbour, told CBC News that she woke up to police lights flashing outside her window. She saw a man and a woman being led out of the house in handcuffs around 3 a.m.

Neighbours in the area told CBC News that the family living at the home had moved in recently, and that at least two children lived there. One neighbour reported seeing a second child, wrapped in a blanket, being taken out of the home by police on Monday morning.

Police have not released the names of the parents.