TN: Mother claims 2-yr old died after eating noodles, autopsy reveals fractures, injuries

Mystery shrouds the death of a 2-year-old boy whose mother reported that he took ill after consuming noodles as postmortem reveals the deceased has suffered fractures and external injuries.

Trichy(Tamil Nadu): Death of a 2-year-old boy which was initially linked to a suspected to a case of food poisoning took a different turn after preliminary postmortem investigations revealed fractures and external injuries, suggesting foul-play. The deceased identified as Sai Tharun, (2), is the second child of Mahalakshmi and Sekar, a painter, residents of Thalakudi near Trichy.

"My son took ill on Saturday after eating noodles which was prepared the previous night. He did not eat anything else through the day. He began vomiting. We took him to a private hospital," Police quoted Mahalakshmi as saying. The doctors declared the boy dead on arrival, police added.

The corpse was moved to Trichy Government Hospital where an autopsy was carried out on Sunday. During postmortem, the doctors had found out that boy's rib bones were fractured. They had also spotted injuries in the genitals of the deceased boy. Further, the doctors also ruled out any case of food poisoning as indicated by Mahalakshmi in her complaint about her boy's death.

The body had been handed over to the family for the last rites. Sources said the mother had said that she was unaware of the fractures or the injuries on the boy's body despite the fact that she was tending to her ill son. "It is highly unlikely for any mother to miss such injuries on their children," the source added.

Asked whether the injuries led to the death, a senior police official said that they were yet to receive the update on the complete findings of the postmortem examination. "The postmortem report will shed light on how the death occurred which will help us further proceed with the case," the official maintained.