An inquest heard that a mother who was “bereft” died of a heart attack just 14 hours after her baby died suddenly in what is thought to have been a case of co-sleeping.
In the early hours of August 9, 2016, emergency services were called to the home of Viktorija Mardosiene in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, because her five-month-old son Kevin Deguitas was not breathing and had gone cold.
He was taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital, where paramedics tried to save him, but he was later declared dead.
His 32-year-old mother later went to the mental health unit at Harplands Hospital and told the staff she was devastated by her son’s death.
The Lithuanian woman had a heart attack while she was there, and she later died at the same hospital as her son.
Duncan Richie, the coroner for North Staffordshire, has now opened and put off the inquests. He said that more study was needed.
During the hearing about Kevin’s death, PC Tyler Lowe said, “The living room was very messy, with boxes and toys all over the floor.”
“The paramedics told us that he wasn’t getting any air, so they put a tube in his mouth and throat.”
“When we asked Viktorija a question, she told us, “No English.” We kept some space. She asked the baby’s father over the phone, “Is my baby dead?” She started crying.
“We heard that she put the baby to sleep at 11 o’clock at night. At 1:34 a.m., we heard that doctors had stopped CPR and life support. Then, Viktorija was taken to the hospital.
DC Craig Flowers from the child protection unit of Staffordshire Police talked about what was going on in the house.
DC Flowers said, “It’s safe to say that the house was in a bit of a mess when we found it.” The next day, I went to the address and saw that she was sleeping in a double bed. In the bedroom, there were empty cans of alcohol.
“Viktorija’s blood alcohol level was measured at the scene, and it was found to be 40mcg/ml.” 35 is the limit for driving while drunk.
“It’s safe to say that she was upset, which makes sense. She was yelling, shouting, and rocking back and forth while saying, “Kill me!”
“There had been worries in the past about things at home. There had been other times when emergency services had talked to the couple.
Dr. Roger Malcomson, a consultant in paediatric pathology, said, “What we’re left with is a baby who died while sleeping with a parent.” After a full investigation, there is no clear medical reason why the person died.
“Overlapping is a problem that can happen when people sleep together. There is also a chance of getting too cold and having trouble breathing. There isn’t enough evidence to point to a certain cause of death.
“I would think about a death with no clear cause. When it comes to the question of whether this was a natural or unnatural death, I don’t think there is enough proof to say either way.
An investigation was started into Ms. Mardosiene’s death. It was found that she went to Harplands voluntarily because she was having chest pains.
Later that day, she suddenly passed out and was pronounced dead at 3:53, just 14 hours after her baby died.
A psychiatrist, Dr. Oluwafemi Popoola, said, “She was met by the deputy ward manager, and there were times when she was upset and couldn’t stop crying.” She did, however, do a good job with the service. Her blood pressure was too high.
Before her son died, she had not told anyone that she had hurt herself or tried to kill herself. But what she really said was “kill me.”
She had never used mental health assistance before. Before she died, she was given valium. The amount given was the right and safe amount.’
According to a toxicologist’s report, she had a small amount of diazepam in her blood, but no other drugs or alcohol. There wasn’t enough to show that the drug was dangerous.
The coroner’s pathologist, Dr. Andrew Hitchcock, who looked at the body after death, said, “There were no external injuries.” But a granular substance was found in the belly. It looks like the kind of medicine that comes in open pills that people take.
“It looked like a drug, “but I can’t say for sure. It” was definitely swallowed.
“Based on the odds, “I can’t say for sure what the medical cause of” death was. The study did not say that the granular materials were toxic, so they were not. They were taken within 14 hours of dying, but I don’t know when exactly.