Grieving parents desperate for answers three months after the death of their son in the care of Oranga Tamariki

Two grieving parents whose child died in Oranga Tamariki’s custody say they still don’t know what happened to their son and are desperate for answers three months later.

Two-year-old Deajay Parkinson-Batt died on June 2 after being rushed to Palmerston North Hospital and admitted to the ICU.

Police say the death is “inexplicable” and is still under investigation.

“I know something’s happened, but no one says anything,” her mother, Talia Parkinson, 23, told the Herald.

“No one has come to us at all. I can’t be angry because I don’t know what happened to my son.”

A coroner has given part of Deajay’s brain to the family, which was taken during a post-mortem examination.

It is kept in a sealed box at his parents’ home in Palmerston North. They are planning a ceremony next month at Deajay’s Wairarapa tomb to gather her remains.

“It’s okay to put the rest of your body with it so it’s complete.”

They are also saving for a grave marker that is decorated with photos of their “baby” and his favorite toys: trucks and cars.

The Herald revealed in June that police had compounded the parents’ pain in a harrowing legal error.

Deajay was taken into the custody of Oranga Tamariki in June 2018 and placed in the care of a larger member of the family.

When the coroner handed over Deajay’s body to his biological parents after the autopsy, two police officers arrived at the funeral home as Parkinson and Deajay’s father, Dion Junior Batt, 24, prepared his son for his tangi.

The officers wanted to take the boy’s body and return it to its caretaker, before realizing that the biological parents had legal property and left empty-handed.

The police admitted to being wrong, but refused to apologize for the mistake.

Parkinson and Batt complained about the incident to the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA).

But in a letter to the couple last month, the IPCA cleared the police of wrongdoing.

It says police contacted Oranga Tamariki as part of a criminal investigation into the death, but the child welfare agency did not notify police “until asked” that custody orders were no longer valid after Deajay’s death.

“Because of this, there was some confusion about who could get the [sic] body after autopsy was completed. “

Once police learned that Oranga Tamariki’s custody orders had expired after death, “there was no further action to relocate or lift Dejay [sic] occurred”.

“Based on the information we have seen, the Authority has not identified any misconduct or negligence on the part of the police. Therefore, we will not take any further action.”

The police investigation into Deajay’s death was continuing, but pending the outcome of a pathologist’s report, the IPCA said.

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Parkinson said she was disappointed with the IPCA finding. The error of the police had shown insensitivity and lack of respect to the family.

“It’s not okay. They know what they did. They just came in and said they were going to take him. I just cried.

“It’s like they didn’t even know what they were doing.”

Parkinson could not understand the delay in providing answers about the death of his son.

A doctor at the hospital told the family that Deajay had suffered a serious brain injury. They needed to know how he died.

“It’s not good enough. If that was your son, you’d want to know what happened. It can’t just be inexplicable.

“Was it a seizure? We don’t even know. But we’re thinking the worst.”

The Chief Inspector of the Manawatu area, Sarah Stewart, took note of the IPCA ruling.

He also acknowledged that the death of such a young child was extremely distressing for his whanau and others involved.

“Officers who attended the funeral home were faced with a difficult situation involving a grieving family and worked quickly to find a solution.

“We reiterate that our staff did not attempt to remove the child and, instead, facilitated an amicable arrangement with all parties present.”

A spokesman for the coronary services said Deajay’s death had been referred to the medical examiner, but the investigation was awaiting the final post-mortem report from the forensic pathologist and more information from the police.

In a statement to the Herald, North Oranga Tamariki Deputy Director of Children and Family Services Glynis Sandland said she acknowledged the grief of Deajay’s parents.

Oranga Tamariki offered to pay for Deajay’s tangi. She also provided financial support to a larger family for the travel and lodging costs of the tangi.

“While we understand your need for answers, the police investigation is ongoing. A coroner has yet to determine the cause of death,” Sandland said.

“Oranga Tamariki informed the police that the custody orders in force for Deajay ceased at the time of her death. That meant that her biological parents had the authority to fix her tangi.

“We convey our condolences to Talia and Dion through the broader whanau and other agencies.”