A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a one-year-old girl on the Isle of Wight. Jayla-Jean Mclaren died in hospital on Sunday, August 3, two days after being admitted with serious injuries.
Before her death, a 31-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman, both from Newport, were arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and were bailed. However, Hampshire Police said they had now been re-arrested on suspicion of murder. Detective Superintendent Rod Kenny said: “We know this case has caused considerable distress within the community and our thoughts remain with those affected by Jayla-Jean’s death.
“The arrests made today are just one part of a much wider set of inquiries in our investigation to establish exactly what happened to Jayla-Jean, and those inquiries remain ongoing.
“We would like to reiterate that you should not speculate on this case, particularly on social media, as this could affect our investigation.”
Police previously said they were called at 11:34 on August 1 to an address in Dairy Crest Drive, Newport, when the child was admitted to hospital.
Jayla-Jean was seen by residents being carried out of a property and into an ambulance.
The girl was then rushed to Southampton General Hospital before passing away.
In a statement previously published by the force on Thursday, her family said: “Mummy, daddy, and nanny will always love you. Fly high princess.”
On August 7 Det Supt Rod Kenny said: “First and foremost, our thoughts remain with all who knew and loved Jayla-Jean.
“We know emotions are understandably high in the local community following news of this devastating incident.
“I want to reassure the community that our investigation remains ongoing, and we are working tirelessly to establish the full facts surrounding Jayla-Jean’s death.
“While we understand the community concern, we urge people not to speculate on the circumstances as this will cause further distress to those who knew Jayla-Jean and could impede the ongoing police investigation.
“We will provide further updates as soon as we are able to.”
