Four people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a three-month-old girl died while camping with her family in woodland near Cheslyn Hay, Staffordshire, England.
Emergency services were called to the woods off Strawberry Lane at around 08:45 BST on Saturday after receiving reports that a child was suffering cardiac arrest. Paramedics and an air ambulance attended the scene, but the baby was pronounced dead.
The people arrested are a 42-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman from South Staffordshire, a 20-year-old woman from Wolverhampton and an 18-year-old man from Walsall. The four were arrested at the scene and have since been released on bail while police continue their investigation.
Detective Inspector Josh Lee, of Staffordshire Police’s child protection team, said officers were working to gather more evidence and were keeping an “open mind” about the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death.
He said the incident was being treated as isolated and urged people not to share unconfirmed or speculative claims about the case online.
The forest is part of the Wyrley and Essington Branch Canal local nature reserve. It is not an official camping site, although the area is used by people fishing, hiking and running.
A police cordon was placed around the area where the family had been camping, near a fishing lake. Flowers were also left near the site as a tribute to the baby.
The death has shocked residents of Cheslyn Hay, which has a population of about 7,000. Local councilor Robert Duncan urged people to avoid speculation and allow the family and emergency services privacy while the investigation continues.
Police have said their investigations are ongoing and all four people remain free on bail as officers work to establish the circumstances surrounding the baby’s death.
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