Dead baby boys had 'multiple injuries'

Chris and Cru Kahui died in Auckland's Starship Hospital about 12 hours apart. Picture / Herald on Sunday.

The twin babies who died in Auckland's Starship Hospital had received multiple injuries and other children from their house were malnourished and dirty, police have said.

The revelation follows postmortem examinations on the three-month-old boys.

A homicide investigation was launched after Chris and Cru Kahui died on Sunday, five days after relatives took them to hospital with serious head injuries and multiple other injuries.

Detective Senior Sergeant John Tims said it was likely the injuries were received three or four days before the babies were taken to hospital, though it was not possible to determine if the injuries all happened at once or over a period of time.

He said police still had a number of family members to speak to about the incident and were mindful that the family was trying to grieve after losing two babies.

Two other children who lived in the same house have been taken into CYF care and treated in hospital for what police described as neglect.

Detective Senior Sergeant Tims said the children had not been fed properly and were not entirely clean.

He said the twins' mother had been away from the house for at least 12 hours prior to the twins being taken to hospital and that the children were in the care of their father and other members of the extended family.

Police are asking any family members with information to come forward.

Marie Dyhrberg - lawyer for Chris and Cru's mother - said earlier today that the twins' parents were "utterly devastated" by their deaths.

"They are utterly distraught but they are committed to finding out what has happened and who is responsible."

Ms Dyhrberg said the family were focusing on the tangi.

She added that anybody who had spent more than five minutes with the twins would be considered potential suspects by the police.

- NEWSTALK ZB / HERALD