Pair arrested on suspicion of murdering seven-week-old baby

Police treating child's death as 'unexplained' as investigation begins

Staffordshire Police were called to Derwent Street, Stoke-on-Trent, following reports of a child suffering a cardiac arrest (Google Street View)

A 49-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a seven-week-old baby boy.

Police were called by West Midlands Ambulance Service to reports of a child suffering a cardiac arrest at an address in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, on Tuesday night.

The baby was taken to hospital but he died a few hours later.

An investigation is underway and the death is being treated as “unexplained”, Staffordshire Police said.

The man and woman are still in custody after they were arrested following the incident on Derwent Street, Stoke-on-Trent.

A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said: “Police were called to a report of a child in cardiac arrest by colleagues from West Midlands Ambulance Service at an address on Derwent Street in Cobridge just before 9pm.

“The child was taken to hospital where he sadly died a few hours later. The death is currently being treated as unexplained and a post-mortem will take place.

“An investigation is underway and enquiries are ongoing.”

Local news reported this morning that emergency services were seen on Derwent Street on Wednesday, with officers seen going in and out of a building through the afternoon.

“There were five police cars and a forensic van in the street for most of the afternoon,” an unnamed resident told the local Sentinel newspaper.

“Later, it was scaled back to a police car with a policeman standing guard outside one of the homes.

“They won't tell us what's going on but something has obviously kicked off. You don't get five police cars for nothing these days.”

Additional reporting by PA