The death of two-year-old Jacob Bastaldo has been ruled accidental.
Pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov said yesterday after an autopsy on the child’s body that the injuries were consistent with a fall.
The child died on Friday at the Chaguanas Health Facility and his grandmother, Sharmaine Bastaldo, had suspected foul play in his death.
Alexandrov said from his examination the injuries were caused after the child fell on Wednesday injuring his head and abdominal cavity.
Alexandrov said the death was accidental due to the child sustaining a combined abdominal trauma and minimal injuries to the head.
“What happened was on Wednesday the child fell and hit his head on a coffee table. The height of table was the exact height of abdomen. So the abdomen hit the corner and the injury was a ruptured liver, which is actually very significant because he was bleeding. The child lost a significant amount of blood,” Alexandrov said.
The pathologist said that the child sustained minor injuries to the head, which were described by media reports as marks of violence.
“Bottom line is this is not a homicide, the injury is inconsistent with excessive force used by someone on this child,” Alexandrov said.
Young Jacob was rushed to the Chaguanas Health Centre on Friday night and was pronounced dead at 7.25 pm. According to police reports, it was while at the Caroni home of his father Brandon Brown that the child’s mother noticed that her son was not responding as he usually did.
She told police around 6.40 pm on Friday, she took the child to the Chaguanas Health Centre. Less than an hour later the child died.