Police suspect a one-year-old baby choked to death after trying to swallow a fake nail belonging to his manicurist mother in a freak accident.
Dante Valentín Bermudes Rumi was rushed to hospital after being found struggling to breathe. He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival despite desperate efforts by medics to save him.
A post-mortem discovered the youngster died of asphyxiation after his airway became blocked with ‘two objects’ that lodged in his throat.
A court probe into the tragedy has since been launched.
Dante’s mum, Aylin Saucedo told Argentinian media of the drama in Los Polvorines in Greater Buenos Aires.
She said: ‘My son died on March 21. We were at home and I realised he couldn’t breathe.
‘I ran to my neighbour’s place to ask for help but there was nothing she was able to do.
‘Then my aunt arrived and the same thing, so I put Dante in the car and we drove to hospital.
‘It probably took me about 10 minutes in total. My son was dead when we arrived.’
Police were called to the Dr Federico Abete Hospital, the main trauma hospital serving the area
The baby’s father then arrived and allegedly assaulted Aylin, her new partner and her dad.
She told TV news channel Todo Noticias that her ex then went out of his way to prevent her from attending her son’s wake and funeral by withholding information about the location from her.
Opening her heart up on her loss in a heartbreaking social media post, Aylen said shortly after her son’s tragic death: ‘Today you’re no longer here, and all I have left are your toys, your little moles, and all your things without you.
‘Mum is shattered into a thousand pieces and doesn’t even have the strength to face this pain..
‘I need you with me, I miss you, I need to wake up with you, and it breaks my heart to know we won’t have a morning having breakfast together, my love.’
Her friend, Angeles Belen, offered her support by saying: ‘Dante will always be his mummy’s beautiful prince and you are not alone friend. We love you.’
Numerous other fatalities have been documented resulting from accidental choking incidents.
Late last month, a two-year-old toddler died after choking on a wine gum during his mum’s birthday party.
Emergency medical responders performed the Heimlich manoeuvre to try to free the chewy sweet from the youngster’s upper airway after racing to the family home.
They managed to remove the fruit chew but were unable to save the child’s life and he was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after relatives phoned 999 to say he couldn’t breathe.
The little boy’s funeral took place on March 2 in the town of Carballo in Spain’s north-west Galician region where the drama occurred
In January, a teenager died in a Costa Blanca holiday resort after a piece of mandarin he was eating as he walked along the street with a friend got lodged in his throat.
Emergency responders were unable to save the 19-year-old’s life after he collapsed to the ground in Playa de San Juan just north of Alicante.
In October last year British grandmother Ceri Ball, 74, died after choking on a piece of steak in a restaurant in the coastal town of Peniscola near Valencia after a day out with her husband Glyn.
Her daughter Lisa Lisseman said Ceri, from Newport, Wales, was quickly assisted by paramedics and rushed to hospital but had been stabbed of oxygen for too long.
Retired pension fund manager Kenneth Edward Cooper died after choking on his lunch on a cruise off the Spanish coast in April last year.
The ship docked and the 83-year-old, from Stow Bardolph, Norfolk, was taken to a hospital in the south-west city of Cadiz where he died on April 11.
A spokesman from Cunard said after his inquest opened the following month: ‘We can confirm that a guest sadly died last month while our ship was in Cadiz.
‘Despite the support from our onboard medical team, the guest later died in hospital.
‘Our heartfelt condolences go out to their family, and our care team remains in touch with them to offer support and assistance.’
