Twins' family blame cot death

Mai Malaulau, great-aunt of Sapphire and Serenity Steel, with another family member, Tali Malaulau. Picture / Mark Mitchell

Serenity Aroha Steel's eyesight was only just starting to develop and take in the world that she had entered three months earlier. But that came to a tragic end after she and her twin sister, Sapphire Joyce Steel, were found dead on Sunday morning.

Close relatives yesterday said the twins - discharged from hospital just four weeks ago - were "alert" and "full of life" on Saturday night.

"Serenity was only just starting to focus and her eyes able to follow us around the room," said Mai Malaulau, an aunt of the twins' parents.

"Sapphire was alert and they both brought such a beautiful presence into our lives. [They] could not have been more wanted and cherished."

The parents, who have not been identified but are believed to be aged about 18, were devastated when they found the lifeless bodies of their first-born children in their home in Titahi Bay, Porirua.

Autopsies revealed that the girls' bodies showed no sign of trauma or injury.

The family believe the babies died from cot death, also known as sudden infant death syndrome, or Sids.

Police have referred the matter to the coroner, who will determine the cause of death and the circumstances, including whether the babies shared a cot.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Oxnam said the deaths were never suspicious, although police had treated it as a homicide investigation.

"What made this case quite unusual was that there were two deaths simultaneously, so we investigate it as we would any unexplained, unusual death."

He said police in future might consider using a term other than "homicide" when looking into unexplained deaths.

Five close relatives called a press conference yesterday to end speculation that the tragedy mirrored the Kahui case. Chris and Cru Kahui, also three months old, were murdered in June. Mrs Malaulau said the Steel twins, who were born prematurely, were loved and would be sorely missed.

"Sapphire and Serenity fought hard to get into this world. We as a family fought hard to bring them into this world."

She said the family now needed time and space to grieve.

"No family would ever want to go through such a tragedy."

Friends of the family were also upset at the news. "We have known their mum and her family for 15 years and are heartbroken," said Sandra Tofa. "They were just so excited about their babies and my daughter went to see them last week."

Her daughter told her that she was concerned at how small the babies were, Mrs Tofa said.

"She said they looked too small. Premature babies, if you're not used to seeing them, can give you a little fright.

"It's so tragic and we really feel for them. They're a lovely family and the kind of people to look after and love their kids. It'll take a long time for them to get through this."

Ed Mitchell, an Auckland University professor of child health research, said twins were born smaller than normal, which made them more susceptible to Sids.

"[And] environmental factors, such as sleep position, that seem to be causally related, are likely to apply to both infants. So if the mother smokes, they are both exposed to it."

He said it was rare to find twins that died from Sids at the same time; about 60 cases had been reported worldwide.

The Weston twins were found dead at three months in their shared cot in Lower Hutt in 2001. But there was no evidence to suggest that cot-sharing increased the risk of cot death, he said.