Mum dies before hearing over son's death

A woman facing criminal charges after her young son died in the filthy Victorian house in which they lived has died before being sentenced.

The woman and her husband, who cannot be identified, were scheduled to appear before the Victorian County Court on Wednesday for a plea hearing over the five-year-old's death.

The boy died after cutting his foot on a tin of cat food left lying among masses of rubbish inside the house in 2012.

Victoria Police confirmed that a 41-year-old woman due to face court over the death of a child died in the Royal Melbourne Hospital on October 16.

The boy's father has pleaded guilty to two charges of reckless conduct endangering injury. The mother had also pleaded guilty to the same charges.

A post-mortem could not identify the cause of the boy's death, but it found he had sustained a 3cm cut to his foot from the tin.

The house was described in court documents as being in a state of extreme squalor, littered with rotting and spoilt food, mould, faeces, broken furniture and household items as well as soiled bedding and clothing.