The family of a newborn baby who died while on a fishing trip with her grandad have issued a statement after police launched a murder investigation. Staffordshire Police confirmed on Monday that two men and two women had been arrested on suspicion of murder over the death of the three-month-old girl, who died on Saturday, September 5.
Incident details
The infant was camping with her family in Great Wyrley at the time, Staffordshire Police said. First responders were called to land off Strawberry Lane, near Cheslyn Hay, Staffordshire, at 8:45am on Saturday amid reports of a child in cardiac arrest. She was later pronounced dead at the scene.
The family at the centre of the tragedy have since released a statement via Chase TV, saying: "We as a family appreciate the community concerns and well wishes for this tragic event that happened where the children and parents joined grandad for a night fishing at the pond.
"As everyone can understand it is a traumatic time for everyone involved and we would ask for some privacy at this difficult time without speculation while Staffordshire Police do their job, as we as a family don't even know the details or circumstances ourselves."
Arrests and bail
Four people have been arrested in connection with the investigation. They are 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. All four have been bailed with conditions while enquiries continue.
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."
Scene and tributes
Police were called to the scene by colleagues from West Midlands Ambulance Service responding to a report of a child in cardiac arrest. An air ambulance also attended, but paramedics pronounced the baby dead shortly after.
The wooded area is not an official campsite, but locals told the BBC that teenagers often use the spot to stay overnight on fishing trips to two nearby pools. The area, described as "hidden away" from the main woodland in the Wyrley and Essington Branch Canal Local Nature Reserve, has now been cordoned off by police while investigators work.
The police cordon has now been lifted, allowing grieving family and friends to leave floral tributes and a toy bunny rabbit at the scene. One woman who identified herself as the baby's grandmother visited the scene with two relatives, where she told journalists that the infant and her parents had only been staying in the tent for one night. She added that the child's grandfather had been camping in the area for several nights. She confirmed the family had been visiting him when tragedy struck.
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."
