Te Kuiti baby death, near Hamilton, New Zealand: Horror after baby boy dies from ‘blunt-force trauma’
A murder investigation has been launched after a 10-month-old baby boy tragically died after suffering violent blunt force trauma.
Mustafa Ali arrived at Te Kuiti Hospital, south of Hamilton on the North Island, unconscious on Saturday afternoon but could not be resuscitated.
Police allege the 10-month-old child died from injuries sustained during a violent, non-accidental attack.
“Tragically, despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be resuscitated,” Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley said.
New Zealand police launched a murder investigation into the death of 10-month-old boy Mustafa Ali (pictured with his father) on Saturday.
Investigators have since searched the family home where Mustafa lived with his father, Mukzameel Ali, mother and several relatives.
While the family is cooperating with police, Detective Pitkethley said their statements differed from what police believe happened to the boy.
“The child’s mother and the child’s father are both talking to police,” he explained.
“Personally, I have some concerns about inconsistencies with the statement.”
He added that a post-mortem examination would be carried out in the coming days, but initial results led police not to believe the child’s injuries were accidental.
Det Insp Pitkethley revealed that police were preparing to conclude an investigation into the non-accidental injuries suffered by Mustafa in October.
“That investigation and investigation would be completed shortly, unfortunately before Mustafa’s death,” he said.
Oranga Tamariki, New Zealand’s Ministry of Children, said it had been involved with the family in connection with police investigations before Mustafa’s death.
The young child arrived at Te Kuiti Hospital (pictured) unconscious with ‘non-accidental’ blunt force trauma and tragically could not be resuscitated
A neighbor of the family told the media that he heard a hysterical woman around 2pm on Saturday.
He claims to have seen a car arrive at the house a few minutes later, picked the person up screaming and drove away.
“I think they went to the hospital then.”
Det Insp Pitkethley said police were aware of the reports but were ‘unwilling to comment further’.
The sudden death has sent shockwaves through the small community, especially “those who lived near the scene of the accident.”
The landlord and family friend of the local mosque, Moshif Hussain, remembered Mustafa as the “joy of the house.”
“The community is really in trouble,” he told RNZ.
“Everyone loves to cuddle babies, so everyone had some connection with the baby, so everyone is quite sad and stressed… and worried about how it happened.”
Anyone who heard screams or has information about the incident is asked to contact police.
