Police hope a post mortem on a three-year-old girl who died today of suspected head injuries will reveal more about the circumstances in which she died.
Emergency services found the girl unconscious at a Hulme St house in Palmerston North about 1.20pm yesterday.
She was taken to Palmerston North Hospital in a critical condition but died just before noon today with family members by her bedside, police said.
A post mortem is being carried out this afternoon.
A man, who was not the girl's father, had been looking after her and three other children aged two, four and six, some of who were her siblings, Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Sheridan said.
An adult visitor to the house had called emergency services for the girl, he said.
The other children were placed in the care of extended family members last night.
Police were interviewing the man, and the children with the aid of Child Youth and Family staff.
The girl's name was not likely to be released until tomorrow.
"The post mortem will hopefully give us a much better understanding of how the young girl died," Mr Sheridan said.
"Even then, we will need to consult with medical professionals and interview the occupants of the house in detail before we can draw any real conclusions."
The family was co-operating fully with police, he said.
Details of the girl's injuries were not being released.
"It is early days and I don't want to second guess what happened, or the outcome of the investigation. These sensitive investigations take time."
Police maintained control of the house and a scene examination would continue into this evening, Mr Sheridan said.
- NZPA
Man - not father - was looking after toddler who died of head injuries
File photo / Hawke's Bay Today
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