SEREMBAN: Police are probing the death of a 15-month-old toddler who was found dead with her head dangling from a cloth cradle at a childcare centre in Bandar Sri Sendayan near here on Tuesday (Feb 22).

       Seremban OCPD Asst Comm Nanda Maarof said preliminary investigations revealed that the toddler died after her head and neck had come out of the cloth cradle she was put to sleep with her body still inside at around 3pm.

       "One of the babysitters had apparently fed the toddler milk at around noon and then put her to sleep in a cloth cradle in a room with two other children who were placed in rockers.

       "The babysitter apparently left the room for about 90 minutes to do other chores," he said on Wednesday (Feb 23).

       ACP Nanda said when the babysitter returned to the room at 3pm, she saw the toddler unconscious with her head and neck dangling from the cloth cradle and tried to resuscitate her but to no avail.

       "The toddler was rushed to the Sendayan health clinic and four doctors tried to revive her but failed.

       “The toddler was pronounced dead at 4.30pm,” he said in a statement.

       ACP Nanda added that there were 15 children, including the deceased, all aged between six months and seven years old at the centre when the incident happened.

       There were two babysitters, aged 27 and 39 years old, at the centre, which has been operating from a single-storey corner unit since the end of 2019. The centre, however, was not equipped with any CCTV system.

       ACP Nanda said the toddler’s remains had been sent to the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital to establish the cause of death.

       The case is being probed under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001.