A toddler who was taken to Wellington Hospital in critical condition after receiving serious head injuries on Tuesday has died.
Police said Cherishsiliala Tahuri-Wright, known as Cherish, had been on life support since being taken to hospital. It was switched off last night and she died about midnight.
Cherish was found by police when they were called to her grandparents' house in Ahuru St, Marton at 12.15pm on Tuesday.
She was initially airlifted to Palmerston North Hospital and was later transferred to Wellington Hospital.
A post mortem would be performed tomorrow.
Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Sheridan, who is heading the investigation, said the death of Cherish was tragic news but from an investigative point nothing had changed.
"The investigation from the outset has been thorough and has been about establishing how the child was injured and keeping an open mind," he said.
"Until we have confirmation of how the child was injured that situation remains the same."
Cherish, whose parents live in Porirua, had been living with her grandparents in Marton for a few weeks, police central district communications manager Kim Perks said.
A three-year-old boy who also lived at the house had been placed into care since the incident.
Ms Perks said the scene examination of the house could take another two days.
"It's a case of working with medical professionals to see what they can tell us, and what the scene can tell us, and what the family can tell us - piecing that together to find how the injuries were caused."
Twenty officers were working on the case, as well as a team of ESR scientists.
- NZPA
