Man arrested after death of two-year-old girl in County Tyrone

Emergency services at the scene in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, where a two-year-old who was found injured was taken to hospital and later died. Photograph: Cate McCurry/PA

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a two-year-old girl from Dungannon, County Tyrone, died in hospital.

Emergency services were called to a house in Park Avenue on Friday afternoon, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the child, who has not been named, had been taken to hospital with a serious head injury.

A 32-year-old man was arrested and remains in custody.

Detectives from the PSNI’s major investigation team are looking into the circumstances of the child’s death.

DCI John Caldwell said: “The child was admitted to hospital yesterday afternoon (Friday 6 August) after Northern Ireland ambulance service attended an address in Park Avenue in Dungannon. The child later died in hospital.

“As part of our investigation, we have arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of murder, and he remains in custody this morning.

“A postmortem will be conducted to establish the cause of the child’s death. Our thoughts are with the child’s family, which is being supported by family liaison officers.

“We will update you in due course but, at this time, there are no further details.”

On Saturday morning a police cordon was still in place at the address on Park Avenue, and a bouquet of flowers had been left, the Belfast Telegraph reported.

The MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Michelle Gildernew, said the community was in “shock at the news” and urged anyone with information about the incident to contact police.

“My thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy,” the Sinn Féin MP said.