Cause of death for two-month-old baby cannot be determined

Dexter Khan-Barnes had been sleeping in the same bed as his father, Shane Khan, and brother on the night of July 29 and was found unresponsive the following morning.

An inquest at Blackburn Town Hall heard how Dexter was two months old when he died on July 30.

Dexter’s mother Laura Barnes was 22 when she died from a large blood clot on her lung.

She was rushed to Royal Blackburn Hospital on May 29, 2022, and Dexter was delivered by an emergency C-section, premature at 32 weeks old.

Laura could not be saved and died on the same day, having never met her baby boy.

Dexter stayed in hospital for several weeks until July 12 when he was discharged.

On the night of July 29, Shane put both Dexter and his older son in the main bed underneath the duvet and they all fell asleep.

Shane said he woke up at about 4am and again at about 5.30am, when he found Dexter to be unresponsive.

He called 999 and was told how to give chest compressions while waiting for an ambulance.

Paramedics arrived and Dexter was rushed to Royal Blackburn Hospital, but they were unable to save him and he was pronounced dead.

Dexter's mum Laura who died shortly after giving birth to Dexter (Image: Family handout)

A pathology report, by Dr William Simmons, could not find a definitive cause of death, returning a conclusion of ‘unascertained’.

The pathologist did mention however the dangers of co-sleeping in this case, highlighting Dexter’s young age.

The coroner, reading a statement by the pathologist, said: “Sharing a bed with an adult is an unsafe sleeping environment at this age.

“It could expose the infant to asphyxiation and children of that age cannot move.”

The pathologist also said dangers could arise from the temperature of the baby as a result of co-sleeping.

It was said however that it could not be concluded that sudden infant death syndrome or co-sleeping were the cause of death for Dexter.

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Speaking during the inquest, family friend Tracey See, who attended the inquest with Laura’s mother Jennifer Barnes, said Dexter’s death was ‘preventable’.

She asked the police whether there were any criminal avenues that could be investigated, however the police officer said that there was no criminal activity behind Dexter’s death.

Coroner Richard Taylor said Dexter's death may have been preventable but could not say for sure due to the pathologist not being able to find an official cause of death.

He returned a narrative conclusion. He said: “Dexter Khan Barnes died on July 30 at Royal Blackburn Hospital having been found unresponsive at his home in a bed he had shared with his brother and father.”