16 month old boy dies after beating

Police have launched a homicide inquiry into the death of a 16 month old boy of injuries he received while in the care of a relative.

The boy died in Starship Hospital at 1.40pm after his life-support system was switched off today.

The boy was admitted to Starship on Tuesday evening in a critical condition due to injuries received while in the care of a relative, said police.

In a statement police said he had been taken to Ascot Hospital by the family but was transferred straight away to Starship.

He is Sachin Dhani of Remuera. He is the youngest of three brothers and sisters.

A postmortem will be carried out tomorrow morning.

The Mt Wellington home where the boy is thought to have received his fatal injuries was cordoned off on Tuesday night.

Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Bear said no arrests had been made yet. Police are still examining the scene and will continue their work until tomorrow evening.