Police are investigating the deaths of two babies who died two days apart at their homes in Point Fortin and Guapo.
In the first incident, a three-month-old girl was discovered dead by her mother on Saturday. The 23-year-old woman told police that around 12.30 am, she breastfed her baby and put her to sleep at their home in Sugar Hill, Point Fortin. Hours later, around 7.27 am, she checked on the infant and found her unresponsive. She called for an ambulance, but emergency medical technicians were unable to revive the baby. When police arrived, they observed the child, dressed in a yellow onesie, lying on her back. The house did not have electricity.
In the second incident, a 10-day-old boy was found unresponsive by his mother around 2 am yesterday. The 38-year-old mother told police that she had breastfed her son around 7 pm on Sunday and put him to sleep at their John Charles Trace, Guapo home. She discovered him unresponsive when she woke up to use the washroom. She also called for an ambulance, but the baby, dressed in a blue and white onesie, was already dead by the time the EHS team arrived.
Police reported that neither baby showed visible signs of violence. Autopsies are expected to be conducted this week.
These two deaths follow a troubling series of sudden infant deaths reported across the country in recent months. On October 7, a one-year-old girl was found unresponsive at her grandmother’s home in Lowkey Trace, Penal. The child had been suffering from a fever the previous night. She was placed to rest on a mattress, and when checked around 3 am, she was unresponsive. Attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful. On the same day, a 47-day-old boy was pronounced dead at the Chaguanas Health Facility. The infant had bruises on his body, and an autopsy was ordered to determine the cause of death. Earlier, on September 8, a two-day-old infant named Fabion Maison died after becoming unresponsive in his crib. Efforts to revive him failed, and an autopsy was also ordered.
Investigations into all cases are ongoing. —Sascha Wilson
