Police: House not home of dead baby

A 22-month-old baby who died at the weekend did not live at the house where she was first reported injured, police said yesterday.

The baby, named as Hail-Sage McClutchie of Hamilton, was reported seriously injured in a house in Studholme St, Morrinsville on Saturday.

Paramedics were called when the child stopped breathing.

Police spokesman Andrew McAlley said she did not live at the Studholme St house.

Mr McAlley would not say whether the toddler was with her parents, or whanau, when paramedics were called just after midday Saturday.

Residents were surprised to hear a toddler was at the house, having never seen a baby there and they said the tenants had only been there a few months.

A nearby resident awoke to loud banging on her door and a "panicked" man asked her to phone an ambulance. "The baby's not breathing", the man said.

Child Youth and Family have confirmed Hail-Sage's wider family was known to the agency, but not the baby herself.

Police say the baby suffered serious injuries, but were yesterday awaiting the results of a number of medical tests before confirming the cause of death.

They said this would not be for several days.

Residents on Studholme St heard that the toddler had suffered brain damage.

However, police said this was an assumption.

Residents also said there were often large groups of people drinking outside the front of the tenanted house, with loud music playing.

Police said they still had to speak to several people to determine how the toddler was injured.