IPOH, Dec 16 — The cause of death of an eight-month-old baby at her babysitter’s house in Jalan Pasir Pinji here on Saturday, was due to suffocation, said Ipoh district police chief ACP A. Asmadi Abdul Aziz.

He said the autopsy conducted by the Perak Community Specialist Hospital at 9am yesterday, revealed that the cause of death was due to asphyxia or suffocation.

On the day of the incident, the baby who was just learning to crawl, was left sleeping on a bed surrounded by high pillows serving as a barrier, at about 5pm, and she was found head-down in a trash bin near the bed at about 6.15pm.

"There was blood accumulated in the lungs, which had caused the heart to stop functioning and the autopsy also did not detect any trace of abuse or other bruises on the victim’s body. The baby’s physical condition was good,” he said in a statement here today.

According to Asmadi, the baby had been cared for by the 45-year-old babysitter since she was 30 days old and if the woman went to work, the victim was cared for by the babysitter’s 24-year-old daughter.

He added that during the incident, only the babysitter’s daughter was at home, and she said she did not realise the baby had fallen as there was no sound of crying.

The case is being investigated under Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001. — Bernama