View Full Version : Three year old found next to dead mother
Chloe O'brien
20-10-2005, 11:11
This story was all over the news yesterday. I don't know about anyone else but I find the story harrowing in today's society on how no-one thought that there may be something wrong a lot sooner.
A THREE-year-old boy survived alone for two weeks alongside the dead body of his mother. The tot was found after police broke into a fifth floor flat in Leith, Edinburgh.The mother, who was found dead on the living room floor, was named as 33-year-old Anne-Marie McGarrity.
Her son Michael survived on crisps and fruit juice and the contents of the fridge because he could not reach the lock on the door.
When he was found, he was painfully thin and badly dehydrated, and could barely stand.
Cathy Orr, child health commissioner at NHS Lothian, confirmed the boy was recovering at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.
She said today: "The boy is doing well in hospital and, if all is well, will
be discharged into appropriate care within a few days."
A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "Following inquiries with various agencies, officers broke into a flat in the Leith area of the city.
"Inside they found the body of a woman, and a three-year-old child.
"The child is currently being checked out at a local hospital.
"There do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances regarding the death of the woman and a post-mortem examination will be carried out."
Michael’s grandmother, Eleanor McGarrity, said: "Michael is a tough wee soul but I can’t believe how he just got on with things by himself.
"It appears that he played with his Thomas the Tank Engine and went to his potty regularly.
"He was like a skeleton on Saturday night. He was very, very weak and very thin.
"He is still lethargic and sleepy and his speech is affected because of the dehydration. But we are confident he will make a full recovery. He is such a brave wee soul."
She said there seemed to have been plenty of food in the flat, such as
fresh fruit, yoghurts, cheese, crisps, and cartons of Ribena and apple juice
A spokeswoman for Edinburgh City Council said that there was no social work care order on Michael.
"However, we are working with other agencies to establish what happened and provide support for the family at this time.
"The child was not in our care and is not in our care now," she said.
Bad Wolf
20-10-2005, 11:14
OMG!!!! how awful!!!! that poor boy all alone, it jus shows that even from an early age its in our nature to survive- he showed such resourceful-ness
brenda1971
20-10-2005, 11:17
That is soo sad hopefully the boy will not be truamatised by the experience.
how sad :( that poor child must have felt so alone,
you know what is worse about this.. His Grandmother!!!! did she not think to contact someone when she couldn't reach her daugher??? did nobody miss the two of them??? How can this happen in this day and age???
Hi grandmother hadn't been intouch with the family since the mother had become a drug addict!! The Nursey only got in contact with her when they failed to reach the mother. She wasn't even on the contact list!!! The grandmother got in touch with the police as soon as she found out the boy hadn't be in nursery
Social Services are now getting involved to see where the young boy will be living with his natural father or his grandmother
A three-year-old boy who survived alone for a fortnight alongside the body of his dead mother is "improving every day", according to his uncle.
The body of Anne-Marie McGarrity, 33, was found in a fifth floor flat in the Leith area of Edinburgh on Saturday.
Her son, Michael, was thought to have survived on food kept in the larder.
In a statement, Ms McGarrity's brother, Keiran, said: "He is becoming more chatty each day and is behaving like any other three-year-old boy."
'Devastating time'
"We are glad he is getting better. We are hopeful he can leave hospital soon."
"Michael has been watching Bob the Builder, which he loves and playing with his Incredibles toys.
"He is beginning to tell us a bit about what happened but it is very early days and it will be a long time before we know the whole story.
Michael's uncle said it had been a "devastating time" for the whole family and he asked for their privacy to be respected.
"We all need time on our own to help Michael through this and do not want to make any further statements at this time," Mr McGarrity said.
Michael was discovered when police broke into the flat at the weekend.
Leith MP Mark Lazarowicz called for an inquiry
The boy's grandmother Eleanor McGarrity said she had alerted officers after staff at Michael's nursery became worried about him and phoned her.
She was reported to have described the boy as "like a skeleton" and very weak when he was found at the flat in North Fort Street.
Michael has been undergoing treatment for dehydration at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.
NHS Lothian said the boy was "doing well" and should be discharged within a few days.
Reviewing procedures
Lothian and Borders Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his mother's death. Initial post-mortem tests have proved inconclusive as to the cause of death.
Anne-Marie's neighbour in the Fort estate flats, Moira Chisholm, said: "The mail was coming back out through the door and in retrospect I think it might have been Michael trying to attract attention.
"I told the postman, 'can you make sure you put the mail right through' in case she was away.
"And he did put it through but later it was back out again."
The local MP for Leith, Mark Lazarowicz, called for an inquiry and said questions needed to be answered to avoid any recurrence.
Edinburgh City Council said it would be reviewing absence procedures at nurseries.
A spokesman said: "While it must be recognised that nursery education is non-statutory provision and there is no requirement for a child to attend, this situation shows that it is very important to establish the reasons why a child is not attending and in the light of this we will be reviewing our absence procedures."
brenda1971
20-10-2005, 12:36
I was wondering where the boys father is
RealityGap
20-10-2005, 14:24
so so sad :( poor little one
in a block of flats? wouldnt someone have heard the child?
in a block of flats? wouldnt someone have heard the child?
maybe they did and didn't care cause his mum was on drugs. I have lived in block of flats and it is the kids you remember seen around, surely someone knew them both...
apparently he was ushing the letters back through the letter box so people would know something was wrong and no one done anything
that is just sad.. poor little guy
brenda1971
20-10-2005, 14:38
Well at least he is getting looked after now.
RealityGap
20-10-2005, 14:38
apparently he was ushing the letters back through the letter box so people would know something was wrong and no one done anything
I dont get why no one would at least ring the door bell and give the letters back to the mum - such a shame
Chloe O'brien
20-10-2005, 15:42
One of the neighbours said that it was a close knit neighbourhood and the nursery is right across the road from his house. It can't be that close that nobody questioned about seeing them for over two weeks
So didn't anyone notice anything strange? post on the floor.. surely the postman would have noticed if the letters he left were outside the door!!!!
Poor little lad, Somone should of missed him
lollymay
20-10-2005, 16:17
poor boy hope he gets better soon
brenda1971
20-10-2005, 16:28
I am sure that he will be fine with some tlc from the rest of the family
I am sure that he will be fine with some tlc from the rest of the family
I hope he is young enought to forget... would be horrible for him to read about it in years to come though
Chloe-Elise
20-10-2005, 19:23
Aww thats awful, least they found him in time.
.:SpIcYsPy:.
20-10-2005, 19:25
Oh my god :( That's so sad... Oh my god.. :crying: The poor lil boy.. living all alone on crips and fruit juice.. :crying: That's so upsetting to hear :(
xsoftladybugx
20-10-2005, 19:59
OMG I'm really upset now I'm eating crisps now :( To think he survived on that and fruit juice alone for 2 weeks is amazing!! Thank god they found him when they did!! Get better little michael u brave ' wee ' sole!! :crying:
Poor little soul. But he has proved he is a surviver. When my son was three I taught him his full name and address in case we get parted in a shop and.,because his dad is diabetic he know that if daddy or mummy didn't wake up you ring 999. shame this little one wasn't taught this. But at least he is alive.
Thats so sad! :(
He must be very brave!
Has anyone seen how they now think the mother died on Sept 1st so its possible that the little boy survived for 6 weeks on his own!!!!
I think its sooooo sad and hope he makes a full recovery and doesn't suffer any long term trauma from this harrowing experience....
If she was dead for six weeks why then did it take so long for the nursery to get in contact!!!
I know, thats what really worried me - I read it on Sky Text last night and they were saying it could have been 6 weeks - if this is correct, why didn't the nursery contact anyone sooner :searchme:
FROM BBC NEWS
A toddler trapped in an Edinburgh flat with the body of his mother could have survived alone for six weeks.
Three-year-old Michael McGarrity was found emaciated, dehydrated and barely able to stand last Saturday evening.
It was initially believed he had survived for two weeks, but detectives have now said his mother Anne Marie, 33, was last seen alive on 1 September.
It was thought Michael had survived on crisps and fruit juice after the death of his mother.
Police have said they are waiting for the results of further tests before they can confirm when or how Ms McGarrity died.
Plea for information
Investigators have said they want anyone who may have seen the woman after the start of September to get in touch with them.
Michael was discovered when police broke into the fifth floor flat in the Leith district of the capital.
The boy's grandmother Eleanor McGarrity said she had alerted officers after staff at Michael's nursery became worried about him and phoned her.
She was reported to have described the boy as "like a skeleton" and very weak when he was found at the flat in North Fort Street.
Michael was being treated at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh. Lothian and Borders Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his mother's death
The local MP for Leith, Mark Lazarowicz, called for an inquiry and said questions needed to be answered to avoid any recurrence.
Edinburgh City Council said it would be reviewing absence procedures at nurseries. A spokesman said: "While it must be recognised that nursery education is non-statutory provision and there is no requirement for a child to attend, this situation shows that it is very important to establish the reasons why a child is not attending and in the light of this we will be reviewing our absence procedures
Chloe O'brien
23-10-2005, 16:05
It was reported in yesterday's scottish sun that the father was offering to sell his story to the papers for £30,000. He said he was going to put £20,000 in a trust fund for the wee boy and spend £10,000 on a hoiday cause he feels he deserves it. The child's father split with Michael's mother when Michael was a baby and now has a new girlfriend and baby. The sun refused to pay him any money.
What a piece of trash this human is
It was reported in yesterday's scottish sun that the father was offering to sell his story to the papers for £30,000. He said he was going to put £20,000 in a trust fund for the wee boy and spend £10,000 on a hoiday cause he feels he deserves it. The child's father split with Michael's mother when Michael was a baby and now has a new girlfriend and baby. The sun refused to pay him any money.
What a piece of trash this human is
i saw that in a paper today i think!!
.:SpIcYsPy:.
23-10-2005, 17:27
What the!? Your joking me!!
We are here feeling sorry for a child who we got no blood related or anything ('cause we got a heart and you that's how we are) whereas IT goes and sells his story :angry: How could a thought run through his mind?!
Has anyone seen how they now think the mother died on Sept 1st so its possible that the little boy survived for 6 weeks on his own!!!!
I think its sooooo sad and hope he makes a full recovery and doesn't suffer any long term trauma from this harrowing experience....
6 weeks?? :eek: how on earth did he manage to survive taht long??? and how come NOONE thought it strange she wasnt around? poor little thing
It was reported in yesterday's scottish sun that the father was offering to sell his story to the papers for £30,000. He said he was going to put £20,000 in a trust fund for the wee boy and spend £10,000 on a hoiday cause he feels he deserves it. The child's father split with Michael's mother when Michael was a baby and now has a new girlfriend and baby. The sun refused to pay him any money.
What a piece of trash this human is
why would would be interested in his story anyway? glad they didnt pay him for it
.:SpIcYsPy:.
23-10-2005, 17:36
Good on Sun btw!! For not paying the foolish idiot!!
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