Baby was smothered to death, Coroner’s Court reveals pathologist findings in heartbreaking case
An unmarried couple who lost their infant daughter in an unfortunate way on the night/early morning of January 30th, 2022 case came before the Coroner’s court in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands in April.
The learned Coroner Ms Mickia Mills asked the couple what name we should call the deceased child. The mother said Raya Amaya Fritz. Before officially notifying the court, the court had the case listed as “Baby Girl Fritz”, but the mother changed that at the hearing on Monday, 22nd April 2024.
The proceeding was scheduled to be a very short, possibly half a day. The Coroner said her goal was to find out the cause of the child’s death and when and how the little girl had died.
In the courtroom were the parents of the little girl and the sole media personnel of Magnetic Media. Naturally, court officials were present.
She reminded the child’s parents (who did not appear to be a couple anymore) that they are not on trial. She said this is not a criminal trial. My role here is not to judge anyone, Mills explained.
Her honor then invited the court officer to swear in the Dr. Michael, the pathologist who resides in Florida of the United States of America and who performed the autopsy of the child on February 22nd, 2022. He testified by video link, ruled acceptable by the Coroner.
He explained from his examination something or someone was pressed against the child’s face that stopped her from breathing and that is how she died. It was revealed that the child went to sleep in the bed along with adults and when the father woke up in the middle of the night and checked the child, it appeared to have no life in its body.
Dr. Michael, the pathologist, said the cause of death of the children was “OVERLAYING.”
Magnetic Media learned that overlaying is an accidental death by smothering caused by a larger individual sleeping on top of an infant, which is a cause of death that has been documented for centuries.
The hazard of death has been reported to be greater in infants less than five months of age but may occur in children up to the age of two years.
We were not able to ascertain how old tender little Raya Amaya Fritz was, but we can confirm that she was a newborn baby.
