Heartbreak for family left without answers after toddler's tragic death

23 August 2023 , 01:27

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Isla-Mae Oates was just two when she died (Image: Sent to BirminghamLive by family)

Devastated relatives of a "smiling" toddler who died in unknown circumstances said “we’ve been left without closure” after a coroner apologised and confirmed medics had been unable to establish the cause of her death.

Isla-Mae Oates, from Solihull, was just two years old when she passed away at Birmingham Children’s Hospital on December 17 2022. The “healthy” toddler had been in foster care and living with a family on a working farm in the West Midlands. Birmingham Coroner’s Court heard she died less than 24 hours after falling ill in the middle of the night, reports Birmingham Live.

Written statements from medics suggested it was most likely the girl died due to a medical issue - possibly a "rapidly aggressive infection" - but none were able to say exactly how she passed away. Assistant Coroner Ian Dreelan told relatives it was “unusual” for him not to be able to record a precise cause of death.

Isla-Mae’s biological family members were in attendance including her mother, father, grandmother and two aunties. Mr Dreelan told them the case was “clinical and complex” before a moving pen portrait was provided. Isla-Mae’s mother Louise described her daughter as a “force of nature with an infectious laugh and a smile that would light up a room”. She said Isla-Mae loved dancing and playing with her two brothers.

Written statements from medics suggested it was most likely the girl died due to a medical issue (Sent to BirminghamLive by family)

The heartbroken mum said: "She would get so excited to see you even if she had seen you just two minutes before. She will be forever loved and never forgotten.” The location of the farm was not revealed during the inquest but emergency services were called to the address around 5am. Medics discovered multiple occupants of the property were unwell and suffering from Covid-like symptoms.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

A joint investigation into why Isla-Mae had fallen ill was immediately launched by a team of police and clinicians. The inquest heard its initial theories included carbon monoxide inhalation or the possibility the youngster had ingested rat poison - but both were later ruled out.

A report by Detective Inspector James Edmonds from West Midlands Police revealed Isla-Mae had been at nursery with no issues the week before she was struck down and had recently taken part in a nativity play. But the police officer said there was no evidence to suggest abuse or anything criminal.

“A medical cause of death is most likely,” DI Edmonds wrote. “But neither [medical] examination has been unable to identify a primary cause.” The inquest heard it later became apparent Isla-Mae had a bump on her head. Dr Fiona Reynolds said she suspected this had been caused by a clotting issue and added she was not concerned by its presence.

Karen McLoughlin, a medical advisor to police dealing with the case, said Isla-Mae had been in contact with two adults with illness - including one who needed treatment in hospital. But she added the cause of the toddler's "rapid deterioration" was unclear.

Dr Roger Malcolmson, who carried out Isla-Mae's post-mortem examination, said he was unable to say whether the death was natural or unnatural. He recorded the medical cause of death as unascertained but said secondary factors were a minor head injury, gastrointestinal bleeding and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Mr Dreelan, the coroner, told family members: "It's very unusual in an inquest where there has been a full post-mortem that it's impossible to establish a cause of death. It happens in two to five per cent of cases. [Dr Malcomson] is saying here that despite all the tests Isla-Mae was subjected to, he is simply unable to ascertain what that cause of death is.

"The aim of every inquest ... is to try and answer as many questions as you have as possible. Very sadly, despite the best endeavours of a huge number of clinicians and scientists, it has simply proved impossible."

One family member told the court Isla-Mae’s parents had been left without any answers. “[They've] got no closure,” the relative said. “A healthy two-year-old doesn’t just die. It’s not good enough."

Mr Dreelan later said: “I'm very sorry you've not had a conclusion. It's very unusual to not be able to come up with a cause of death. It does seem there was a medical cause of death [but] doctors can't understand what it was.”

Josh Sandiford