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It is a horrible and sickening story and the kind that does not often cross the news desk here at 7NEWS. Tonight police have a young mother of two and her boyfriend detained after the death of her two year old daughter and serious injury to her four month old son. The Belize City’s Police Family Violence Unit is aggressively investigating it as a case of extreme child abuse.

The mother’s story is that early Sunday morning she went upstairs to talk to a friend and left her two children with her boyfriend, Leon Lopez. White tells police that when she returned she found her daughter breathing heavily. She says her boyfriend told her that the little girl had defecated and after changing her clothes, he beat the child – beat her brutally, apparently, because an X-Ray would later show that her skull was fractured. And the baby boy was also seriously hurt: an x ray revealed that his skull was fractured and that he had a swelling on his the head. He also had black and blue marks all over his body. The little girl died on Tuesday and baby boy remains in intensive care.

Police say they do not believe the mother and boyfriend are telling the truth and there are discrepancies in the statements they have given to the police. Equally disturbing is the fact the mother identified as Shyann White did not report the matter to police until one day after her daughter died.

Police Press Officer Clemente Palacio spoke to 7NEWS about the ongoing investigation.

Clemente Palacio, Police Press Officer
“It is a reprehensible act and of course the Police Department as are other members of the community are all abhorred about the magnitude of a crime like this. We all know that even in the wild, animals are protective of the young and when one hears about a situation whereby a small child is injured from anyone, either the parents or anyone else, I think that draws a kind of ire from the rest of the society.

Well a CAT scan revealed that there were injuries to the skull and of course in the case of the little girl there were also injuries to her knees and I think she was quite bruised in other parts of her body.

I don’t wish to comment too much on the details of what occurred because clearly this matter is being investigated by the Family Unit of the Police Department and it is a very sensitive issue and we are now at a crucial stage in the investigation. Tomorrow we will definitely have some of the more pertinent details that will shed light on this matter.

But clearly, to answer your question, it was such a heinous act that we are all shocked about what has really happened. Well all know that when a incident like this happens, people are frightened and they try to initially cover up as much as possible. I think that could explain why there was such a delay. But again it goes to show what kind of mechanisms must be put in place when children are at the hospital and they have injuries. Again that matter is up for review.”

The police would not confirm reports which indicate that the boyfriend was not even in Belize City when the children were injured. 7NEWS understands that the surviving infant has been placed in the care of his grandmother.