Mystery deaths of twins who were 'beautifully' cared for

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Mystery deaths of twins who were 'beautifully' cared for

08 July 2004

By MICHELLE QUIRKE

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2965123a11,00.html

When Stokes Valley parents Giselle Whaanga and Weston put

their identical twins Ariana Karlota and Tiare Tipani to sleep, they

carefully wrapped each baby in her own blanket, put two thin blankets

on top to keep them warm and laid them on their backs in their shared

cot.

The girls were a blessing for the couple, who had suffered three

miscarriages after the birth of their first daughter.

On July 16, 2001, Ms Whaanga fed them and gave them a dose of Pamol

for a mild fever. For the first time, the parents put the babies'

heads on a pillow to make them more comfortable. The three-month-old

girls fell asleep about 10.30pm. The next morning, Ms Whaanga awoke

to discover them dead in their cot.

Almost three years on, experts cannot agree on the cause of their

deaths. At an inquest in Wellington yesterday, perinatal pathologist

Jane Zuccollo said there was no evidence of infection.

The twins' clothing had been very damp, which was unusual, their

mother said. Dr Zuccollo said that and the amount of bedding – a

fleece layer on top of the mattress, covered by a sheet and several

blankets – might suggest hyperthermia as babies were not well

equipped to deal with excess heat, but this could not be proved.

Dr Zuccollo said she could not comment on the significance of the

pillow because she had not seen the twins lying on it, but pillows

were not recommended for infants because they could block a baby's

airway.

However, forensic scientist Jim Sprott blamed toxic gases for the

twins' death.

Dr Sprott, a campaigner for a mattress-wrapping technique which he

says prevents cot death, said a British laboratory's analysis of the

cot mattress and bedding found antimony and phosphorus. The theory

was that the elements, together with fungi, generated toxic gases

that interfered with a baby's nervous system, leading to cot death.

There was also ish research which showed reused mattresses were

a factor in higher cot death rates, he said.

Ms Whaanga had earlier told the inquest that the babies had a second-

hand cot and mattress, though they were in excellent condition.

However, chemical pathologist Crooke said the mattress was

not tested for fungi and there was no medical evidence that the gases

would affect the nervous system as Dr Sprott claimed.

Carbon monoxide levels in the twins' blood, linked to smoke

inhalation, were not high enough to cause death, Dr Crooke said. Both

parents were smokers.

Wellington Coroner Garry was critical of a lack of thorough

investigation into sudden and unexplained infant deaths in the past,

though he praised the police investigation in this case.

He also criticised sudden infant death " syndrome " as a misnomer

because the label was used to describe an absence of cause. Cot death

was also an outdated term because most sudden infant deaths now

happened in parents' beds.

He reserved his findings and thanked Ms Whaanga and Mr Weston for

attending the hearing: " There is not, and cannot be, any suggestion

whatsoever that there was any lack of care on their part. Their

little ones were cared for in the most beautiful way. "