Mother and son died few hours apart in what family described an unusual and unexplained manner.
Tributes are being paid to Viktorija Mardosiene, 32, and her baby son, Kevin Dugutis, as police confirmed a coroner was ‘reviewing’ the circumstances.
Ms Mardosiene lost her life on a ward at the Royal Stoke University Hospital at 5pm on August 9.
The She is reported to have collapsed following the death of Kevin in the early hours of that morning. It’s understood he had been taken ill in his cot just two hours after a night-time feed at their Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, home and was rushed to hospital shortly before 1am.
Now Ms Mardosiene’s relatives are seeking answers after the death of their ‘healthy’ loved-one. It comes as it was confirmed North Staffordshire’s coroner was ‘reviewing’ Kevin’s death, reports Stoke on Trent Live.
Her sister, Tatjana Abraitiene, has led tributes to Ms Mardosiene, who also leaves a 12-year-old daughter who sadly never got the chance to meet her newborn brother, and Kevin. Kevin’s dad was too devastated to speak about the loss of his partner and child.
Tatjana, aged 30, from Silverdale, Newcastle-under-Lyme, said: “I said the last goodbye to my nephew. I kissed him and told him I’m so sorry I can’t change anything, it was horrible.
“We waited for this baby for so long and I brought them home from the hospital and saw them all the time. He was really loved and beautiful. She was so lovely and like the sun in the day. If somebody was sad she’d find the words to make them happy.
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“She was my everything, my other part. I will miss talking to her and going on walks together. My daughters miss her so much. They only had one aunt from my side and now she’s gone.”
Ms Mardosiene moved to England from her native Lithuania in 2016 before moving to North Staffordshire two years ago. She leaves a 12-year-old daughter in Lithuania, who never got the chance to see her brother.
Tatjana added: “She was really sad and was mourning. She said she wanted to be with him and die. Everyone was scared that she would kill herself if she went home so they left her at the hospital. We trusted the NHS and thought they’d look after her.
“Two police officers came to my home later and told me she was dead. I had no words. It has been a month since they died and the hospital still has no answers. I just need to know exactly what happened.”
West Midlands Ambulance Service said it attended Ms Mardosiene’s home at 12.42am on August 9. Two ambulances and a paramedic officer attended.
An ambulance service spokesman said: “We found a baby in a critical condition. Ambulance staff administered advanced life support on scene and en-route to the Royal Stoke University Hospital.”
A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: “The circumstances of the baby’s death are being reviewed by the coroner.”
Royal Stoke chief nurse, Ann-Marie Riley, said: “We offer our condolences to the family of Viktorija Mardosiene. We cannot comment on any individual case for patient confidentiality reasons and would ask her family to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Team who can look into any concerns raised about her care.”