'Suspicious' head injuries may prove fatal for baby

A 14-month-old Bay of Plenty toddler is in hospital with life-threatening head injuries that police say are suspicious.

Tauranga police said yesterday they had launched an investigation into the girl's injuries after an ambulance was called to a house at Pongakawa, a rural area near Te Puke, on Wednesday evening.

Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner said ambulance staff found the girl with serious head injuries.

She was taken to Tauranga Hospital about 6pm.

The child was transferred to Auckland's Starship Hospital, where she remained in a critical condition last night.

Mr Turner said the injuries were suspicious and it was unlikely the toddler would survive.

"We're conducting inquiries to establish how she suffered those injuries," he said.

Mr Turner would not confirm a report in a local newspaper that the injuries were the result of a suspicious fall.

"At this stage, we don't know how she sustained the injuries," he said.

"Obviously a fall is one possibility we've got to consider."

Mr Turner said it could be a number of days before medical reports helped to clarify the cause.

Members of the child's family had called the ambulance but it was unknown how many people were at the house when she was injured.

Mr Turner said police had not previously been to the address.

No arrests had been made.