A POSTMORTEM examination has concluded on a seven-week-old baby girl who died on Tuesday while on a life-support machine at Sligo General Hospital.
Gardaí say they are not disclosing the results, adding that further tests are to be carried out by the State Pathologist’s office.
These tests could take weeks, gardaí said last night.
The baby’s parents brought her into the AE unit at Sligo General on Saturday.
Supt Michael Barrett, who is in charge of the investigation, said for operational reasons in a “very sensitive” investigation, gardaí were not commenting further. The HSE said it had no comment.
The parents, both in their mid-20s and who have two other children under the age of seven, are understood to have told hospital staff and gardaí they believe their child suffered head injuries when she fell to the floor from her Moses basket in their bedroom. The baby is understood to have been fed at 7am on Saturday. Her father found her unconscious on the floor three hours later.
State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy and Assistant State Pathologist Dr Khalio Jaber carried out the postmortem examination of the body yesterday.
They also inspected the family home in Sligo which was sealed off by gardaí while being examined by forensics officers.
The result of the postmortem examination was made available to gardaí last evening.
Gardaí said the course of the investigation would be determined by the contents of the pathologists’ report.
A white rose was left at the door of the house with a message: “Sincere sympathy on the loss of your lovely girl. Sleep tight, little angel.”
Neighbours, still trying to come to terms with the tragedy, said the family kept very much to themselves although they had many regular visitors since moving in a few years ago. One neighbour said the couple were delighted when the baby girl was born.
He said: “I don’t know what happened apart from what I heard on the radio. The parents are very good to their children.
“Indeed I would say they spoil them. They were well looked-after kids. Whenever the little lad was out the front, he always held on to his dad’s hand.”
The neighbour said the mother loved cooking for her family. “She was always on the go for her children,” he said.