AN autopsy on baby Selieen Ramsaroop, who was force-fed a concoction of poison, baby milk and cereal, has been deferred to a later date, possibly because her body tested positive for covid19.
The baby’s step-grandmother, Sharmela Deonarine, said last Thursday her family was told the autopsy would be done on Friday.
They showed up at the Forensic Science Centre on Friday, where they were told to fill out forms to register the birth of the baby before an autopsy could be done.
Having done that, she said, they were told the autopsy would be done on either Monday or Tuesday.
But when Newsday contacted Deonarine on Monday, she said, “It has been further delayed. We were not called to come to the Forensic (Centre) today. We don’t know if the police will call us on Tuesday.”
She said when baby Selieen was taken to the hospital and her body flushed of the toxins, she also tested positive for covid19, which may have set back the autopsy.”
In the meantime, a 30-year-old mother of four remains in police custody in connection with the suspected homicide of the baby.
Police are awaiting the autopsy report before consulting the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice on laying charges.
Police reports indicated that on September 21, the nine-month-old baby and her ten-year-old brother were at Deonarine’s home at Unis Road, Busy Corner, New Grant, with the 30-year-old woman around 12.20 pm.
The woman told the police she became frustrated by the baby’s crying and mixed a poisonous substance that she extracted with a syringe from a bottle of Malathion with the baby’s bottle of milk and cereal.
Selieen was fed the concoction and put to bed.
Deonarine returned home and found the baby unresponsive.
She was taken to the Princes Town District Health Facility around 3.15 pm, treated and transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital, where she died around 6.30 pm.
Police have since seized the bottle of Malathion – which is used to control mosquitoes and other insects – as well as a syringe and the baby’s bottle.
Investigations are continuing.
