A Waikato mother has lost custody of her newborn baby, as police
continue to investigate the unexplained death of another of the woman's
children.
Chelsea Scott was the mother of six-month-old Serenity Jay Scott-Dinnington, who died last April from traumatic brain injuries.
Miss
Scott gave birth to her new daughter on January 6 and spent 48 hours
with her before the baby was taken into Child, Youth and Family care,
the Waikato Times reports.
CYF general manager operations Marama Edwards says the baby is now living with an approved caregiver.
"Both
Child, Youth and Family and the court take these cases very seriously
and decisions around removing a child from his or her parents are never
taken lightly," she said.
"We are continuing to work with the baby's wider family and her parents are allowed supervised visits."
Miss
Scott told the Waikato Times in October she had kept her pregnancy
quiet because she did not want to lose custody of her baby.
She had also lost custody of her son Travis, who was aged about six.
Waikato
Detective Sergeant Mark Greene says the inquiry into Serenity's death
is ongoing and police are awaiting forensic pathology results from
overseas.
Last April, Serenity was found unresponsive at the
Ngaruawahia house where she lived with Miss Scott, then aged 21, Miss
Scott's boyfriend Matthew Ellery, and her brother, Drew Scott.
Serenity was taken to Auckland's Starship Hospital, where she died two days later.
NZN