Six women have been arrested after the death of a one-year-old boy at a nursery in Dudley, police said.
A criminal investigation was launched after a visit by Ofsted following the boy’s death on 9 December last year. West Midlands police said they were treating the boy’s death as suspicious.
Three women, aged 20, 23 and 50, were arrested on 16 December on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and released on bail with strict conditions while inquiries continued, the force said.
A further three women, aged 51, 53 and 37, were arrested on Wednesday. Two were held on suspicion of corporate manslaughter and one on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
The nursery, in Bourne Street, has been closed by Ofsted along with other linked premises.
West Midlands police said: “The family of the baby boy is being supported by specially trained officers. A postmortem has taken place but further tests will be conducted to establish the exact cause of death.”
A spokesperson for West Midlands ambulance service said medics were called to the premises at 3.19pm on 9 December, sending resources including two ambulances, a trauma doctor and an air ambulance.
“On arrival crews found a child in a critical condition,” they said. “Medics commenced advanced life support which continued en route to Russells Hall hospital [in Dudley] by ambulance.”
An Ofsted spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on individual providers and it would be inappropriate for us to comment on the circumstances surrounding this child’s tragic death while a police investigation is under way.
“However, we suspended this nursery’s registration on December 14 because we believed children may be at risk of harm.
“Inspectors visited the nursery the following day and issued a welfare requirements notice, setting out a range of actions the nursery must take to make sure children are safe. We are supporting the police with their ongoing investigation.”
PA Media contributed to this report
