The person in charge of a daycare in Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD) was arrested for questioning in relation to the death of a 7-month-old baby. An autopsy performed by a government pathologist this morning revealed that the infant, Oriya Gravesande, died of hemorrhaging and suffocation.
A source close to the investigation revealed that the caretaker was taken in for questioning this morning to ascertain the circumstances that led to the infant’s death. It is alleged that the daycare operated without a licence.
The source said that while the child was immediately taken to a health center in the district, it was not until hours after that the parents were notified of what had occured. By the time the infant was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, she had already succumbed, according to the source.
Meanwhile, the mother of the toddler, Shavannie Gravesande told Guyana Standard that something is not adding up. She believes her daughter was “murdered”. The mother lamented that there was a prior incident in which the infant bore marks on her forehead.
“When we collected her one day, she had some marks on her head and I enquired from them as to what happened but they said she probably scratched her face… I can’t understand why they waited to call us hours after this incident occurred. I could not even get to see my daughter when I arrived at the hospital. I need justice for my child,” Gravesande lamented.
The grieving mother said that she is now left with more questions than answers. She posited that the story presented by the caretaker to the authorities had major loopholes; glaring details she hopes investigators take note of.
“I still can’t understand, something is not right. She fell down at the side of the bed and was found wrapped up between the sheets. She basically suffocated and it had to be that they were not paying attention because if she had fallen she would have cried and you must have heard something,” she said.
Another mongrel gone.