An inquest has revealed that a deeply distressed mother passed away just 14 hours after the tragic death of her five-month-old son, possibly due to a co-sleeping incident. Viktorija Mardosiene was reportedly rocking back and forth, screaming “kill me” following the loss of her baby.
Emergency services were summoned to their Midlands residence in the early hours of August 9th last year. The 32-year-old housewife, originally from Latvia, had dialed 999 to report that her son, Kevin Deguitas, had stopped breathing and appeared cold.
Medical professionals made every effort to revive him, but sadly, he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Royal Stoke University Hospital. Overwhelmed by grief, Viktorija sought help at the Harplands mental health unit. Tragically, while there, she experienced a cardiac arrest and passed away in the same hospital where her son had died.
The North Staffordshire coroner, Duncan Richie, opened and adjourned the inquests into their deaths, explaining that further investigation was required. During the inquiry into Kevin’s death, PC Tyler Lowe provided a statement recounting the distressing scene as medical personnel worked on the young child.
“The living room was extremely cluttered with boxes and toys scattered across the floor,” he described. “Paramedics informed us that he was not receiving any air, and a tube was inserted into his mouth and throat.”
“We approached Viktorija to gather information, but she indicated that she did not speak English. We kept our distance. She was on the phone with the baby’s father, asking, ‘Is my baby dead?’. She began crying.”
“We learned that she had taken the baby to bed for sleep at 11 pm. At 1:34 am, we were informed that doctors had ceased CPR and terminated life support. Viktorija was then transported to the hospital.”
The inquest into Viktorija’s death revealed that she had voluntarily sought treatment at Harplands and had complained of chest pains. Later that afternoon, she suddenly collapsed and was pronounced dead at 3:53 pm, merely 14 hours after Kevin’s passing.
“The deputy ward manager met her and witnessed her periods of distress and uncontrollable crying,” explained Dr. Oluwafemi Popoola, a psychiatry specialist. “However, she engaged well with the service. Her blood pressure was elevated. She collapsed in the hospital, and CPR was performed. Paramedics arrived at 3:05 pm and transported her to Royal Stoke with a suspected cardiac arrest.”
“There were no reports of self-harm or suicide prior to her son’s death. However, she expressed the sentiment ‘kill me.’ She had no previous contact with mental health services. She received an appropriate and safe dosage of diazepam before her death.”
Both inquests have been adjourned until a later date, allowing time for additional evidence to be gathered.