KAKATA-Margibi – A seven-month-old baby has been discovered dead in Kakata’s Sugar Community after she was left unattended to by her mother last Friday.

Residents of the community awoke to shocking news of the death of Alvina Yekeh after she reportedly drowned in a bucket of water placed beside the bed by her mother.

According to reports, Traphina Yekeh left her daughter asleep in bed to go sell fish at a local cold storage facility in Kakata at 4:00 a.m. The baby is suspected to have drowned after trying to get down from the bed and falling into the bucket of water.

Edward Jallah, an elder in the community who was on the scene after the incident occurred, told reporters that community members woke up to the news of the death of the child at about 6:00 a.m., and as elders in the community, they decided to get an account of what happened.

Jallah said he and others saw the baby with her head submerged in the water and feet hanging outside the bucket. He said he was informed that the deceased mother said she left her baby with brother-in-law and a little girl in the house but the little girl informed them that she went to fetch water at a well while Traphina Yekeh’s brother-in-law was asleep in his room and could not give any account of the incident.

Meanwhile, Jallah, who headed a 15-member coroner’s jury, reported that their investigation proved that there was no foul play. The jury blamed the death of the child on the negligence of the mother.

The Liberia National Police have not yet pressed any charges against Traphina Yekeh.

Featured photo by Peter M.