Baby died of heart failure

HEART failure was to blame for the death of a 12-month-old boy from Limassol, who fell down a flight of stairs outside his home on Thursday after escaping the attention of his grandmother.

According to State Coroner Eleni Antoniou, who yesterday carried out an autopsy, the injuries he had sustained from his fall were actually superficial, with external injuries and no fracturing to the skull.

However, Antoniou added that the boy had been born with a heart problem and was being observed by paedocardiologists.

“The greatest possibility is that during his fall, the baby panicked, which brought on heart arrhythmia and due to the seriousness of his heart problem, led to his death,” said the state coroner.

The baby’s mother had died just days after giving birth, making the blow extra painful for the toddler’s father and family.

The little boy’s grandmother, who was arrested and held for several hours after the accident on suspicion of causing death due to negligence, was yesterday released from police custody.

The boy had been left unsupervised in a walker, and while his 42-year-old grandmother was in another room, he toddled over to the open front door and tumbled down the 25 metal stairs that led to the entrance of the home.

His grandmother only became aware of the tragedy when she heard the baby hit the ground.

A local paediatrician failed to revive him and he was pronounced dead on arrival at Limassol General Hospital.

According to a police announcement, the grandmother admitted to the crime and was yesterday allowed to go. She will return for trial at a later date.

Police were yesterday less forthcoming when asked whether it had been absolutely necessary to detain the woman in such a tragic circumstance.

The police press office refused to comment beyond saying that, “death caused by negligence is a very serious crime”.