Police say a Wairarapa toddler's death is causing them concern but there appears to be nothing suspicious about the unrelated death of a baby, also from the area. Police spokeswoman Kaye Calder said they were still waiting for post-mortem results from Wellington Hospital into the unexplained death of a five-day-old
Masterton girl and a 23-month-old Carterton girl.
The toddler's death was being investigated after Masterton Hospital staff raised concerns about injuries to the girl's body.
She was found to be dead after being taken to to hospital early yesterday.
"Obviously there are issues there that are of a concern to us and we want to find out more about it and that's the focus of our inquiries, " Ms Calder said.
Police were not treating the five-day-old's death as suspicious, she said.
"The indications at this stage for the baby are that there's nothing to indicate that it was a suspicious death, but once we get the word through we'll be able to confirm that."
The baby was found dead at home yesterday morning.
The autopsy results would be referred to the coroner, who would determine the cause of death, Ms Calder said.
All available Masterton police staff were last night investigating the deaths.
Police had interviewed family members who had been caring for the toddler and a Carterton house where the toddler was believed to have died was cordoned off for a police examination.
The investigation is on behalf of the coroner and the infant will also undergo an autopsy.
It was hoped the post-mortem would offer further clues about how the toddler died, said Detective Sergeant Graeme Reisima. Masterton Hospital's emergency department clinical nurse leader Sue Gardiner said staff on duty had followed hospital protocol for "suspected non-accidental injuries."
Several agencies were notified and support was arranged for the people involved.
Senior detectives were called in the early hours of this morning in response to hospital concerns about the girl's injuries.
Detective Sergeant Reisima was unable to comment about how the toddler died until the results of the autopsy were known.
He confirmed, however, that the hospital's concerns were based on "some injuries the [two-year-old] baby presented."
- NZPA
