PORT ELIZABETH - EMS BAFFLED AFTER FINDING 2 DEAD TODDLERS IN MISSIONVALE HOME

An investigation has been launched into the mystery death of two young Port Elizabeth children at their home at the weekend.

Siblings Licia Roman, almost nine months old, and Lisa, nearly three years old, were found dead inside their Peace Street, Missionvale, house at about 5pm on Sunday.

Bay Emergency Medical Services (EMS) had been alerted to the tragedy by the family.

Police were notified soon afterwards and are investigating how the children died.

Police spokeswoman Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said the details were still sketchy.

“We do not know what, or how this happened,” she said.

“The police were alerted by the medics who had responded following a call for assistance. Due to the suspicious circumstances around these deaths, we were called to assist.”

Janse van Rensburg said the children’s parents claimed that one child had been born prematurely and was disabled, while the other had been suffering from gastro-enteritis.

“The cause of death will only be known once the postmortem is conducted,” she said.

Asked if the parents had been home when the children died, Janse van Rensburg said this would be determined during the investigation.

Metro EMS operations manager Ashwell Botha said rigor mortis had already set in when they arrived. The family declined to comment. Two women, who identified themselves as neighbours but would not give their names, said: “We don’t know what happened but the children had been sick for some time, though we don’t know what was wrong with them.”

VIA - heraldlive