Four people have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a three-month-old baby who was camping with family in Staffordshire.
Police were called to land off Strawberry Lane near Great Wyrley at 8.45am on Saturday after paramedics from West Midlands Ambulance Service responded to reports of an infant in cardiac arrest, Staffordshire Police confirmed.
Air ambulance dispatched but child pronounced dead
An air ambulance was dispatched to the scene, but paramedics were unable to save the child, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 42-year-old man from South Staffordshire, a 30-year-old woman from South Staffordshire, a 20-year-old woman from Wolverhampton, and an 18-year-old man from Walsall have all been arrested on suspicion of murder and released on bail with conditions while inquiries continue, the force stated.
Police appeal for factual updates
Detective Inspector Josh Lee, from the force's child protection team, said: "I want to assure the local community that we are working around the clock to investigate the circumstances of this tragic incident, which has understandably caused concern.
While we can confirm that all four people have been arrested on suspicion of murder, we are still working hard to obtain further evidence and we are keeping an open mind as to the circumstances of the death at this very early stage, which we are treating as an isolated incident.
All four people were arrested at the scene of the incident and have been released on bail. While we fully understand that speculation into the nature of this incident is likely to take place, we'd ask people to follow this page for factual, accurate updates as our investigation unfolds and to avoid sharing unconfirmed and speculative claims online."
Ambulance service statement
A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "We were called to reports of a medical emergency near to Strawberry Lane at 8.39am on Saturday, two ambulances, two paramedic officers and a helicopter from the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity attended the scene. On arrival we discovered one patient, a female child.
Ambulance staff immediately began administering advanced life support but sadly, despite their best efforts it became apparent nothing could be done to save her and she was confirmed dead at the scene."
