‘I miss my little boy’: Brisbane mum speaks out about 1yo’s death at daycare

“He’s our only one baby; he’s our hope; our everything,” the heartbroken woman said.

The mother of the one-year-old who tragically died at a daycare centre has spoken out for the first time. 

Emergency services were called to a private address in Wakerley, Brisbane, at 3.30pm Tuesday, where a baby was found dead after suffering a suspected medical episode. 

At 7.30 that morning, baby Riley Ma was dropped off at the childcare centre by his mother; according to the woman, the 1yo was happy and in a good mood when she said goodbye.

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Riley passed away on Tuesday afternoon at a private childcare centre. Picture: Courier Mail

Mum speaks out about 1yo’s tragic death

Later that afternoon, Riley’s father received a text from a staff member asking him to come to the childcare centre, explaining that “something bad has happened”. 

According to a family member, by the time the dad arrived at the childcare centre, which is run by a local family, an ambulance was already on the property. 

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“The dad got there fairly quickly and found that Riley wasn’t responding,” a family friend, Karina, told the Courier Mail. 

Karina explained the child’s lips were “purple” and was struggling in his final moments. “Then his fist was so tight, obviously he was struggling before his last breath,” she said. 

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Paramedics “were trying to do what they could do to resuscitate him”, the friend recalled, but it was too late. 

“They tried for a while and then just declared he’s already gone, there’s no point taking him to hospital,” she said. 

Police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the one-year-old’s death. 

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“I can’t drink, I can’t eat, I can’t sleep”

Speaking to the Courier Mail, Riley’s mother shared the immense impact the devastating loss has on the family.

“He’s our only one baby; he’s our hope,” she said. “Me and my husband cherished our baby very much. 

“He’s our everything.” 

When her husband arrived at the scene, paramedics said he was able to give his child one last hug. “They said to my husband, ‘You can give him a cuddle’, and my husband gave him a cuddle tightly,” she said. 

However, by the time Riley’s mother arrived on the scene, it was too late to say goodbye; she recalled not being able to cradle her baby one last time. “They didn’t allow me to touch my baby, didn’t allow me to kiss my baby, didn’t allow me to give him a cuddle,” the heartbroken woman said. “So I didn’t do anything at all.” 

The mum said the news was so devastating that she couldn’t bring herself to tell her own mother, who is battling cancer. 

“She is at the fourth stage of cancer, and Riley is her hope,” the mum said. “I don’t dare to tell her the truth; I just tell her Riley is sick.”

However, she knows that eventually, her mother will have to learn the heartbreaking truth at some point. “I can’t drink, I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I just miss my little boy,” she said.

Originally published as ‘I miss my little boy’: Brisbane mum speaks out about 1yo’s death at daycare