No funeral arrangements yet for drowned baby

Official police reports are that at about 4.30pm, the child’s mother, Shirla Kerr, who lives at Bethel and works as a cleaner at one of the villas on the Tobago Plantation property in Lowlands, left the infant, Loren Daniel, sleeping in a bed along with a five-year-old while she carried out her duties.

At approximately 5pm, Kerr went to make a check on the children and discovered Loren missing.

The frantic search by the mother ended at the pool, located in the back of the property.

Kerr alerted neighbouring security officers, who contacted the property management and officers of the Old Grange Police Station were later contacted.

Officers led by Corporal Dexter Miller visited the scene along with EHS ambulance and Loren was taken to the Scarborough General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

An autopsy performed yesterday morning by Forensic Pathologist, Dr Valery Alexandrov, confirmed that the infant’s death was due to drowning.

Reports are that Kerr told police that she did not have anyone to babysit and opted to take the children along so that she could complete her chores while at the same time keep an eye on them.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be made for the infant.

CORRECTION: In our initial report of the incident, Newsday reported in yesterday’s edition that Loren Daniel drowned in a pool at the Magdalena Grand Beach and Golf Resort in Tobago.

Based on information subsequently received, we are satisfied that the incident did not occur at the Magdalena Grand Beach and Gold Resort.

Daniel’s mother is also not an employee of the resort. The management has extended its heartfelt sympathies to the parents, family and friends of the victim. The error on our part is regretted