Two people arrested on suspicion of murder after baby's death
16 September 2020, 15:09
Two people have been arrested in Barnsley on suspicion of murder after the death of a four-month-old baby girl.
A 38-year-old man and 31-year-old woman, both from Athersley, were arrested this week after a murder investigation into the death of the baby, who is said to have suffered catastrophic injuries when she was two days old.
She never recovered from those injuries, which happened in May at Barnsley Hospital, and she died on Monday after her life support was withdrawn.
A post-mortem was carried out the follow day, but South Yorkshire Police said her cause of death was still "unascertained, pending further medical inquiries".
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Etheridge, the senior investigating officer, said the girl's injuries had been "so catastrophic" that she could not survive them, which led to her life support being withdrawn four months later.
He added: "Our thoughts are with those affected and our specialist officers are supporting them throughout this incredibly difficult time."
"We have a dedicated team of officers assigned to this investigation.
"Two people are in custody and we are working hard to establish the exact circumstances leading up to this child's death.
"I know that the local community will be shocked and deeply saddened to hear of her death and it's important that people feel able to talk about their concerns but I urge everyone to be mindful of what they post on social media and not to speculate on what may have occurred.
"If you have information that may assist, it's important that this is passed to the police to form part of the investigation."
Anyone with information is asked to call 101.
