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Daily Record
Daily Record
World
Olimpia Zagnat & Peter Diamond

Heartbreak as ‘playful and smiley’ one-year-old baby found dead in cot

A family have been left devastated after a 15-month-old baby described as "always happy" was tragically found dead in his cot.

Emmett Jago Rathband died suddenly at his home and was discovered by his mother Latoyah Ibbeson, at around 11am, expecting the baby to be awake.

An inquest has opened into the death of Emmett and is expected to be concluded this week.

At the hearing the court heard how Emmett was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome, suspected sepsis and other chronic respiratory problems following his birth on February 5, 2020.

Emmett’s 21-year-old mum, Latoyah, had ‘a great deal’ of work reaching out to doctors and specialist paediatricians, over worries that her son was suffering from breathing difficulties.

Latoyah, said her baby son had breathed noisily in his sleep, and would occasionally “gasp for air”.

Emmett was described as a “playful and smiley” baby who was taken to regular consultations with Dr Victoria Walker of Sherwood Forest Hospitals, according to Nottingham Live.

Dr Walker told the inquest that “concerns were raised by the family over his noisy breathing”, and so he was referred to Dr Yanney from the same medical trust for a sleep study at the King’s Mill Hospital.

The results were reported on February 15, and the conclusion was that Emmett was suffering from an obstructive sleeping disorder.

He was referred to respiratory specialists at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, where he was consulted on two occasions in April time.

The inquest heard that further investigations were due to take place at the Queen’s Medical Centre in October this year.

However, baby Emmett was found dead in his cot at home in Alexandra Street, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, on May 2 last year, when his mum, Ms Ibbeson, went into his room at around 11am - a time when he would usually be awake.

The baby was found “cold and unresponsive”, the moment when the ambulance was called, the inquest heard.

He was pronounced dead at 11.45am.

A pathological examination into his death revealed that Emmett had a vascular anomaly and other complications that caused him airway obstruction.

Dr Elizabeth Didcock, assistant coroner for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, will conclude the inquest with NUH witnesses Dr Preyell and Mr Daniel due to speak in the hearing.

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