POLICE are this afternoon probing the ‘unexplained’ death of an eight-month-old child in Newton Abbot.
Officers and paramedics attended an address in Brownhills Road on the Broadlands estate just before 10.30am.
A cordon was immediately thrown around the area as CID and scenes-of-crime officers attended the incident.
His death was currently being treated as unexplained, although a 27-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the tragedy.
The spokesman said: ‘We were called by the ambulance service just after 10.30am informing us of the death.
‘Police and scenes-of-crime officers have attended the house to undertake initial investigations and we are currently treating the death as unexplained.’
He added: ’A 27-year-old man is in police custody in connection with this matter and awaits questioning.’
One local resident said he was stopped from driving down Brownshill Road by an officer who told him colleagues were dealing with a major incident.
This was later confirmed as detectives and scenes-of-crime officers attended the scene.
He said he saw an ambulance further down the road together with several police vehicles and a police photographer at work.
He said: ‘I just pulled up in my car. I live down the lane. There’s a young child of about three screaming and there’s someone lying outside.’
The witness said he saw a child being brought out from a property.Det Sgt Mike Brewer said at the scene just before 4pm that no on else was being sought in connection with the death.He stressed the public should have no fears in the wake of what had happened.DS Brewer added that the man detained would be questioned at Torquay Police Station this evening.He said one other child had been at the property together with two adults.