Two teens held on suspicion of murder after six-week-old boy dies at facility
A SIX-WEEK-OLD baby boy whose death is being treated as murder died at a unit for young mothers and their children, according to neighbours.
Police and paramedics were called to Defender Road in Southampton, Hampshire, at 5.05am on Sunday, after the baby had fallen ill.
He was taken to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
A 16-year-old boy and an 18-year-old woman have been arrested in connection with the death and are in custody for questioning.
Local resident Ian Fussel said: “My friend who lives in a flat heard the baby crying at night. It’s terrible, horrible, disgusting.
“It’s a mother and baby unit. Teenage kids live there and there used to be staff there at night but they stopped that.”
Mr Fussel said people staying at the property were known locally to have smoked drugs inside before and the fire service had been called out on at least one occasion because of the fumes.
He said: “It’s not the first time something like that has happened there — there have been a number of events there.
“People who live round here knew there would be trouble when they put the place here and there has been.
“It’s been evacuated by fire engines once because they were smoking things in there and the fumes were harming the babies in there. None of this would have happened if they had staff in there at night like they used to.”
Mr Fussel said he believed that boyfriends were not allowed to stay at the property in the past but the rules had changed. A Hampshire Police spokesman said: “Officers investigating the death of a six-week-old boy in Southampton have arrested two people.
“Police were called at 5.05am on Sunday to an address in Defender Road, Southampton, along with South Central Ambulance Service, following reports that a child was in need of medical attention.
“The baby was taken to Southampton General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
“Inquiries into the circumstances are ongoing.
“An 18-year-old woman and 16-year-old boy, both from Southampton, have been arrested in connection with the incident.
“They remain in custody at this time and are assisting police with their inquiries.”
He confirmed the pair had been arrested on suspicion of murder.
A Southampton City Council spokesman said: “A multi-agency review has been launched and we will be assisting the police with their investigations wherever we can.”