Infant dies in parents fight

-mother held, father on the run

A mother is in custody as the police search for her partner to assist in the investigation of the death of their two-month old son, who died as a result of injuries sustained during a fight between his parents.

The dead infant, Andy Hunte, of Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara, was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) by his father yesterday afternoon and succumbed later as doctors were performing emergency surgery, in an attempt to save his life.

GPHC sources said that sometime after 2pm yesterday, the child was brought into the hospital in an unconscious state with lacerations to his small frame and a gaping wound to his head. They said they were told by the father that he and his spouse had a physical altercation as he held the baby in his hand and used the child as a shield to avoid a blow with an object to his head.

However, police officials at the Sparendaam station told Stabroek News that while the mother was being questioned by Criminal Investigation Department officers, she gave a different account of the same story. They said the mother told police that she was holding the baby at the time he received the fatal blow.

Further, the police said that the father was on the run and they need him for questioning into the matter.

When Stabroek News visited the Le Ressouvenir community, it was told by residents that the address given by the couple did not exist and they lived as destitutes but were well known in the area. Residents said the couple often had public disputes.

Investigations into the matter were ongoing up to press time.