news

No foul play in mother, baby deaths

Police Commissioner John Rizzo shot down rumours of suspected foul play in the deaths of Sharon Attard and her baby daughter, Haley, following Friday’s shock news that the inquiring magistrate had ordered the exhumation of the bodies for further forensic tests.

The mother and baby were found dead on 17 November in their car which lay crushed on the seabed at Cirkewwa. They had been reported missing one week earlier by Mrs Attard’s husband, Wayne. Mrs Attard was said to be suffering from postnatal depression.

Mr Rizzo told MaltaToday that the toxicological tests were ordered by Magistrate Giovanni Grixti to ascertain the cause of death. He reiterated that no foul play was suspected despite the magistrate’s decision to exhume the bodies.

Mr Rizzo said that pathologists who had carried out the original autopsy on the dead bodies had found no sign of violence leading the police to rule out foul play. The cause of death was said to be drowning.

The tragic story of Sharon Attard, aged 30, and her baby was intensely followed by the whole nation, which was kept on alert in the hope of finding the pair who had gone missing on 10 November. Friday’s exhumation of the bodies caused a public stir and rumours of suspected foul play spread like wild fire.

However, sources said that the toxicological tests could have been done on the same day the autopsy was held thus sparing the family the distress of having to see the bodies pulled out of their graves.