Four-year-old girl and her grandmother, dead on the same day, a few hours apart – Ziarul de Iasi

“During the day of 29.04.2024, a tragic event took place in Călăraşi county, dying on the same day, during the morning, a 4-year-old girl and, around noon, her grandmother. The event was initially notified as a suspicion of food poisoning, the fish consumed on Sunday possibly being incriminated,” the Ministry of Health reported.

According to the cited source, 10 people participated in the meal, of which 4 children and 6 adults, the products consumed were numerous (fish, pork neck, small, pork sausages, pork ribs, doughnuts).

“Nausea and vomiting were experienced only by the 4-year-old girl and her grandmother. The clinical picture of the little girl can possibly be associated with food poisoning, and in the case of the grandmother (with pre-existing conditions: myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation), the cardio-respiratory arrest occurred at the time of the transmission of the news that the little girl had died and could not be resuscitated. The Forensic Medicine Service will perform the necropsy of both persons and samples will be taken, including toxicological ones, in order to establish the cause/causes of death”, stated the representatives of the ministry.

“On April 29, around 10:20 a.m., the police from the Criminal Investigation Service were alerted to the fact that a minor and her 59-year-old grandmother were taken from their home by an ambulance and transported to two different hospital units, where they later died. Considering the seriousness of the reported facts, an operative team coordinated by a prosecutor from the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Călăraşi Court was established, a criminal file was drawn up, in which investigations are carried out, regarding the circumstances in which the death occurred. Also, representatives of the Călăraşi Veterinary Sanitary Directorate and the Călăraşi Public Health Directorate participated in the on-site investigation. Currently, investigations are being carried out regarding the establishment of the factual situation”, Călăraşi County Police officials said on Tuesday.

The girl was taken from the family’s home, in Spanţov commune, on Monday morning. When the medical team reached her, the four-year-old child was in cardio-respiratory arrest, she could not be resuscitated. She was taken to the Călăraşi County Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Her grandmother, known to have heart problems, was taken to the Oltenita Hospital. There he found out about the death of his niece and most likely had a heart attack. The woman had previously suffered a heart attack, was being treated for fibrillation and had a stent installed. The doctors could no longer save her.

“When the case was announced, it was announced as suspected food poisoning, but after collecting information about the clinical picture of the little girl, the clinical picture of the grandmother, information from the other people who consumed products together with the grandmother and the little girl, the more likely, food poisoning was not the cause of the death of the two people. It is difficult to tell what the girl is about, it could be intoxication with an unknown substance, and in the case of the grandmother, the cardio-respiratory arrest most likely occurred upon learning the news that the girl had died”, said the doctor epidemiologist Camelia Truică, from the Public Health Directorate of Călăraşi county.

The two ate together with other members of the family, there being a total of ten people, and the others did not complain of being sick. DSP took water samples, biological samples, to determine if there was anything in the food or water that caused the child’s illness. The investigation will establish, in the case of each of the two, the causes of death.