Toddler dies, stepmom held
2003-09-08 21:16
Durban - A two-year-old girl from Pongolo in KwaZulu-Natal died, allegedly from food poisoning, after eating food cooked by her stepmother on Friday.
The girl became very ill after having eaten a plate of food apparently given to her by her 18-year-old stepmother.
The stepmom appeared in the Pongolo magistrates court yesterday in connection with her stepdaughter's death.
Area police spokesperson captain Vusi Mbatha told Daily Sun that the stepmother, who lives in Jozini, had come to collect maintenance money from the girl's father.
"She has a child with the girl's father but does not live with him.
"She visits once a month to collect money to support her child," said Mbatha.
When she was visiting on Friday, the stepmother is said to have cooked a meal containing poison.
Mbatha said the girl was taken to her grandmother's house when she fell sick after having the meal.
"The girl died there," he said.
Mbatha told Daily Sun that the family dog was also reported to have died after eating the leftovers from the little girl's plate.
The stepmother was arrested on Saturday.
"Police investigations are continuing. A post-mortem will reveal what caused the girl's death," said Mbatha.
- Daily Sun