Police have confirmed that the 1-year-old girl at the centre of a serious assault investigation has tragically died in hospital.
The youngster was rushed to St Mary’s emergency department in a serious condition early on Friday morning following an incident at her home address on Dairy Crest Drive in Newport, as reported by Island Echo.
Later that morning, she was flown directly to Southampton General Hospital by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance where she has been receiving specialist treatment.
Sadly, despite the best efforts of medical teams on both sides of the Solent, the innocent 1-year-old succumbed to her injuries earlier this afternoon (Sunday), it has been confirmed.
It is known that local clinicians raised a red flag with Police due to the nature of the girl’s injuries, which sparked an immediate investigation to be launched by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary.
A 31-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman, both from Dairy Crest Drive in Newport, were arrested on Friday night – around 12 hours after emergency services first responded – on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Earlier today it was revealed that the couple – the girl’s legal guardians but not biological parents – have been released on conditional bail until 1st November.
Police say they have a dedicated team working on the case, with enquiries continuing.
Inspector Oly Greenhowe of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has said:
“This is understandably a troubling incident for the community, and we want to reassure residents that a dedicated team of officers is actively working to establish the full circumstances surrounding what happened.
“While we carry out those enquiries, we are urging people to stop speculating online about this case. Speculation and the spread of rumours are not only unhelpful, but they can actively hinder the progress of our investigation. If people have relevant information on this incident, then they should contact the police directly”.
Anyone with information can contact Police on 101 or online, quoting 44250344990.
As the poor little baby has died these 2 should be arrested for murder and remanded surely
Rip baby girl, sorry this world was cruel to you, clearly from the start, sleep well beautiful girl xxxxxxx
people will speculate whether the police like it or not – it is human nature to speculate. Their job is to follow facts and not to waste their time trying to control the social media narratives.