A tragic toddler who was found in between his dead father’s legs passed away as a result of dehydration, an inquest has heard.
Two-year-old Bronson Battersby was discovered curled up in his Pudsey pyjamas next to his father, Kenneth, 60, on January 9, who is believed to have suffered a heart attack shortly after he was last seen alive on Boxing Day.
A social worker visited their home in Skegness, Lincolnshire, on January 2 for a routine visit but received no reply and contacted the police.
The worker visited again on January 4 but again there was no response, so they contacted the police again that day.
Shockingly the bodies of Kenneth and Bronson – who was classed as vulnerable and was being checked on weekly – were not found until five days later when the social worker herself used a key from the landlord to get into the home.
The toddler’s mother, Sarah Piesse, 43, last saw her son before Christmas after a row with her ex.
At the time of Bronson’s death, she said her life had been a ‘living nightmare’ since she was told that her son and former partner had died.
Residents in the town said that the news of Bronson’s death had left them struggling to sleep at night.
The inquest, opened by senior coroner Paul Smith in Lincoln, heard how Bronson went to live with his father after his parents separated in the summer of 2022, while his two siblings lived with his mother.
Detective Inspector Claire Rimmer of Lincolnshire Police told the coroner’s court how police were called by a ‘concerned’ neighbour who hadn’t seen Kenneth for a while and reported a smell coming from the flat.
Kenneth’s body was found behind the living room door and Bronson was found dead between his father’s legs.
The court also heard from coroner’s officer Tracy Cox, who confirmed that Bronson’s post-mortem examination took place at Leicestershire Royal Infirmary on January 11. The report confirmed Bronson died because of dehydration.
Mr Smith adjourned the inquest to a provisional date of December 10, noting that a ‘thorough and sensitive investigation’ is taking place into the two deaths.
The Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership is undertaking an in-depth, independent review of the case, which began in February and is expected to take six months.