The mother’s family criticizes the police for how they handled the situation (Photo: Getty)
A young mother was left “traumatized” after she was given only two minutes to say goodbye to her daughter moments after her death, the court heard from investigators.
Lauren Dunlop was wrongly arrested and later investigated for the murder of her daughter after taking three-month-old Eden-Grace Dunlop to hospital in March 2020.
The traumatic ordeal began when Lauren, in her 20s, went to sleep with Eden-Grace next to her in her apartment in Gosport, Hampshire, but woke up at 8 a.m. and found her face cold and blue.
Lauren took Eden-Grace to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, where she was pronounced dead on March 10, 2020, three months before the day of her birth.
Police then expressed concern that Lauren had consumed cannabis in the presence of Eden-Grace, the coroner’s court in Portsmouth heard.
The devastated mother was quickly arrested and taken to a police station by “harassing” a police officer in what her parents described as an “act of cruelty,” the court heard.
But while investigator Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp apologized for the suffering, she told the Dunlop family that police were following records.
Eden-Grace was rushed to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire (Photo: High Level / REX / Shutterstock)
John Dunlop, Lauren’s father, told the hearing: “I just want to know why she was taken from the hospital for six hours when her daughter just died?
“Was that really necessary?” It looks like an act of cruelty.
“She should have been given time with her daughter, but she was given less than two minutes.
“She was harassed when she tried to say goodbye to her daughter. There was no solitude, she was told to hurry.
“I may look very angry because I am. This had a catastrophic effect on her mental health. The policeman kidnapped her.
The cause of Eden-Grace’s death has never been discovered (Photo: PA)
When it turned out that Eden-Grace later suffered a skull fracture, the investigator heard that Lauren was arrested for murder on March 20, 2020.
Lauren’s other four-year-old daughter was also placed in the care of her grandparents by social services.
But Detective Officer Luke Donovan told the hearing that there was not enough evidence to charge her with either negligence or murder after an 18-month investigation, with a toxicology on the day of Eden-Grace’s death clear.
The court heard that Eden-Grace, who suffered from colic, fell from her mother’s arms while sleeping.
But Dr. Russell Delaney, who conducted the audio, said the incident did not explain the skull fracture the baby suffered because it did not fit in time.
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The result of the autopsy was not established despite the “forensic” investigation, and the investigation said that it was possible to die in a joint sleep, but there is not enough convincing evidence to make this diagnosis.
Mrs. Rhodes-Kemp described the cause of Eden-Grace’s death as open.
At the end of the investigation, she concluded that Eden-Grace was “healthy until March 10, 2020” when her mother found out that she did not react in bed.
She said that after an “extremely extensive autopsy” involving many experts, “any kind of non-accidental injury is ruled out” and “any kind of genetic or infected problem”.
“There is no reason for Eden-Grace’s death.” No one knows exactly why she died, Ms. Rhodes-Kemp said.
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“The cause of death remains unknown, which is not much consolation for the family.
“I know this is disappointing. There was evidence that her skull was broken, but [Ms Dunlop] gave a reason for how what did not fit into the time frame happened.
“In any case, this does not explain what happened on this very sad day. We don’t know how Eden-Grace died. I wish I had an answer for the family, but I don’t.
After Eden-Grace’s death, the Go Fund Me page was created, raising almost £ 1,500.
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In a statement, Hampshire police said officers were called at 8.52am on 10 March 2020 by ambulance, saying the child was seriously ill at an address in Gosport.
The forces said: “After a thorough investigation of the circumstances and based on the evidence available to the police, including expert medical reports, a 24-year-old woman from Gosport, who was arrested on suspicion of murder as part of our investigations, was later released without further action being taken against her.
“A coroner’s file has been prepared.”
“We would not comment on any more operational issues related to the investigation process, except to state that we are acting on the basis of information at the time it is presented to us,” the force added.
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