The police’s investigation into the death of a five-month-old baby in Larnaca is ongoing, with police suspecting that it was caused by “shaken baby syndrome”.

The baby was found unconscious at a nursery on December 27, and died at Nicosia’s Makarios hospital two days later.

Police spokesman Christos Andreou told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) on Tuesday that “investigators took statements from [the baby’s] family members and from others where the baby was found unconscious.

“At first glance, from the autopsy performed on December 30, it appears that the death was caused by violent shaking, known as ‘shaken baby syndrome’,” he added.

He also noted that the medical examiner’s report is expected to be filed in due course, and that other laboratory tests will also help to clarify the cause of the baby’s death.

“It is being examined whether the apparent violent shaking [of the baby] was indeed the cause of death, and when exactly the incident occurred. In other words, we are looking to see if the baby was shaken before or during the time at which it was found unconscious,” he said.

He said the autopsy showed damage to the baby’s central nervous system, and added that police are “investigating a case of unnatural death.

“This is a very difficult case. We had a similar case with shaken baby syndrome in the past as well, where there was also a conviction,” he said, though he noted, “every case is completely different.”

In that case a 37-year-old man was jailed for five years for manslaughter after he was found guilty of shaking his two-month-old baby to death on March 5, 2022.