Police have announced that they are now treating the death of a 23-month-old girl in County Tyrone as murder. Tavia Da Costa was due to turn two years old later this month before she suffered a fatal injury at a home in Windmill Court in Dungannon on Sunday. After a post-mortem examination, authorities began to treat the case as suspicious, with a man and two women, all in their 20s, arrested and put into custody. Police have now launched a murder investigation.
Det Ch Insp Anthony Kelly expressed his condolences to the family of Tavia Da Costa and said that his thoughts were with them. “A 21-year-old woman, a 24-year-old woman, and a 29-year-old man were each arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody at this time,” he said.
Tavia Da Costa has connections to the East Timorese community in Dungannon. Roy Setiawan, chair of the Timorese Association Inclusive Support, stated that the community has been left “heartbroken” by the death of the toddler. Setiawan added that the incident has left the entire area of Dungannon shaken. “It is just really sad and I would like to reach out to our community and the wider community to express our condolences and our deepest sympathy to those who are mentally and physically affected by this tragic incident,” he said.
The toddler’s tragic death has resulted in widespread shock and sadness in the community. Although the investigation is ongoing, the police are urging anyone who may have information to get in touch with them
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