A 7-year-old boy is said to have ‘frozen to death’ after being left on the doorstep of his Birmingham home.
Nechells Primary Academy pupil, Hakeem Hussain, was discovered in near-freezing conditions outside his house in Cook Street, Nechells, just after 7:30am on Sunday.
It’s believed he’d suffered hypothermia.
It is thought the schoolboy had been outdoors for some time before suffering a fatal cardiac arrest.
Two ambulances as well as a paramedic officer arrived to find Hakeem, however nothing could be done to save his life.
His 35-year-old mother and 56-year-old great uncle have both been taken into custody.
The mother has been arrested on suspicion of wilfully ill-treating a child along with Hakeem’s great uncle.
Both individuals have been released ‘under investigation’ while police officers continue with their investigations.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said:
A man and woman were arrested on suspicion of wilfully ill-treating a child after a seven-year-old boy was found deceased at a property in Cook Street, Nechells, on Sunday, November 26, just after 7.30am.
The 56-year-old man and woman, aged 35, have been released under investigation while enquiries continue.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said:
Paramedics were called to reports of a cardiac arrest at a property on Cook Street in Nechells shortly after 7.30am on Sunday morning.
Two ambulances and a paramedic officer attended the scene and arrived to find a boy in cardiac arrest.
Sadly, nothing could be done to save the child and he was confirmed dead on scene.
Hakeem’s headteacher Julie Wright, wrote a letter to parents with the following message:
His loss to our academy community is sure to raise many emotions and concerns for our staff and pupils.
We currently cannot provide any further information, however we would like to reassure you that there will be dedicated support in place at this difficult time.
We are working with Birmingham City Council to ensure that staff and pupils have access to grief and bereavement counsellors.
We are saddened by the loss to our academy community and will make every effort to support you and your child as you need.
A post mortem examination is reportedly taking place today, in order to establish the exact cause of Hakeem’s death.
More information is expected to follow.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.