Five years after her three-year-old son died by drowning, Alexis Gravesande’s world is once again in upheaval after her four-month-old baby girl was discovered dead in their home early yesterday morning.
Princess Ashiba James never responded when he tried to wake her, a grieving Sherwin James, the girl’s father said, as his child lay in the bed close-by. Neighbours surrounded the North Ruimveldt Squatting Area home yesterday, discussing the incident as police and a hearse waited for approval to remove the body.
Gravesande told Stabroek News that at around 2 am yesterday, she left home to carry her nephew to the George-town Public Hospital. She said that James was left with their daughter, both sleeping on the same bed and she was told that when he got up, he observed their daughter lying “stiff”. James told this newspaper that he awoke at about 6:30 am and observed his daughter and though he turned her over and attempted to wake her, he got no response. He stated that he called an aunt and she checked the little child and they then called Gravesande.
Gravesande stated that when she returned home, she saw her daughter lying on the bed dead and she began crying. The police were called and were still there when this newspaper visited the home yesterday. The baby’s body had not yet been removed and was lying on the bed covered by netting. The grieving woman said that she knew of no medical problems that her daughter had nor was she sick recently. A post-mortem examination will be done today.
The baby girl was Gravesande’s fourth child. On New Year’s Day in 2004, her three-year-old son died by drowning.
