Police arrest parents after preemie's death

Cyprus police have arrested the parents of a newborn baby who died last weekend after being rushed to the hospital, but charges remained unclear after an autopsy ruled out an accident at home.

Local media said the parents of an infant, who was born prematurely a little over two months ago and died last Saturday, have been placed into police custody following a forensic exam by state pathologists.

Police told Knews on Thursday they were investigating manslaughter and that both mother and father, who were the only suspects in the case, were facing the same charges.

The parents, described as Bulgarian nationals, rushed their baby to the Emergency Room at Limassol General Hospital over the weekend, with reports saying the preemie was out of consciousness.

Doctors then ordered the baby transferred to Makarios Children’s Hospital in Nicosia where it died hours later.

Preliminary reports said the baby was thought to have choked during feeding while this week a post mortem, conducted by forensic examiners determined the infant died with a serious head wound but it was unclear when the injury had occurred.

State pathologists Angeliki Papetta and Orthodoxos Orthodoxou, who conducted the post mortem, also pointed to signs of a spinal subdural along with two fracture points, while the report was said to have ruled out an accident at home.

No other suspects have been named in the case but police did not rule out a revision of the charges pending an ongoing investigation.

A spinal cord birth injury can occur when a child's neck is strained by pulling, twisting, or using tools to remove the baby from the birth canal. Undiagnosed damage to the spine before birth can also result in a spinal cord injury during delivery.

Details of the premature birth were not immediately available in this case.