Baby died from head trauma; mom blames old fall
It started as a mystery: why did baby Tiana lose her life? By nightfall, however, although an explanation was at hand, not everyone was ready to let matters rest. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods was on the case from morning; her narrative begins at the morgue.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Dana Augustus and Stewart Sutherland, the parents of two year old Tiana Augustus, say they have no idea what could have possibly caused their daughter’s death after she fell asleep at their home around 11:00 on Wednesday morning.
Jacqueline Woods
“You all must be pretty confused at this moment and can’t wait for the doctors to find out exactly what happened?”
Dana Augustus, Tiana’s Mother
“Yes, we are. I am confused because I left her home okay, so I am confused.”
Jacqueline Woods
“She was an asthmatic?”
Dana Augustus
“She was an asthmatic.”
Jacqueline Woods
“But she wasn’t sick and having any difficulty breathing?”
Dana Augustus
“No, she was okay, she was okay.”
Dana Augustus was at work and had left her daughter in the care of the child’s father. Sutherland says that morning his daughter did not complain of any problems, but simply climbed on to the bed and fell asleep.
Jacqueline Woods
“Did she say daddy, I am sleepy, I need to go to my bed, nothing?”
Stewart Sutherland, Tiana’s Father
“No she just climbed onto the bed and gone to sleep. After that, I left her to sleep and I gone into the kitchen and started to clean up the house and after that you know, I went to sleep to. So about 1:30 I wake up to give her food and I went to shake her to wake her up, but she nevah wake up. I nevah know weh to do, so I just breathe into her mouth, she nevah respond. So I ran to her work and told her weh happened and mek we ker ah dah hospital.”
Dana Augustus
“Well when I get home from work, I just see my baby lying on the bed, so I picked her up and rushed her over here. When I brought her here, they tell me she done dead. They pumped her and whatever, but nothing.”
But this evening, police informed News 5 that as the result of the post mortem, they may handle the case as a homicide. According to the Criminal Investigation Branch, the autopsy revealed that two year old Tiana Augustus died as a result of cerebral haemorrhage due to a blow to the head. Minutes ago, News 5’s Jacqueline Woods once again caught up with Dana Augustus. She said the police can do whatever investigation they have to, but she does not believe her daughter’s death was the result of foul play. She says it must have been caused by a knock she accidentally received a number of weeks ago.
Dana Augustus
Not recently, but about a month or a month and a half ago, she knock ih head on the edge of the bed. I ker ah (take her) to the doctor because her forehead swell and she had a black under her eye. When I come to the Doctor, Dr. Erebo tell me, ker ah home and rub it down with some ice. That dah (is) the only knock weh my baby get. And like I tell the policeman them, if you want investigate this, check dah Matron Roberts, because an ants bite my baby, I ker ah dah doctor because I know my baby delicate. So I noh think my baby just gone, that dah the knock weh kill my baby and like ah seh, dah the doctor tell me just rub it down with some ice. If she just get knock, my sister is a nurse, and she was there, the brain noh mi wah swell like that. Dah noh a fresh knock, it’s an old knock, the brain swell and she was bleeding inside, internal bleeding. So if they want to investigate it, they could goh right ahead. Like I tell the officer, check Matron Roberts Health Centre and her file deh there. Because like I tell them, if an ants bite ah, I deh right deh.”
Police say they will soon be taking up Dana Augustus’ offer.
