Norwegian mother and child 'died of illness'
A Norwegian mother and her 9-month-old baby found dead in a flat in Arboga, in central Sweden, died "due to illness or as a result of it", local police said on Monday.
“The baby died from exhaustion and starvation,” said police spokesperson Terje Lund to Swedish daily Aftonbladet.
When the bodies of the deceased mother, Kjærsti Elida Guseck, and her baby, Verona, were found in January, police were unable to rule out foul play.
Newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) reported at the time that the woman was originally from western Norway, but had moved to Sweden in 2008 because she didn’t feel safe in her home country.
Police sources told Aftonbladet that the woman had lived at a secret address for a period as a result of threats made against her.
In 2010, her then boyfriend was convicted in Sweden after assaulting the woman and threatening to kill her.
The woman had six children in all, but only had custody of the youngest, the infant girl found dead in the apartment.
Neighbours told Aftonbladet at the time that the woman had lived in the area for several years and was "always happy and a fantastic mother".
The police investigation has shown that neither Kjærsti Guseck nor her child had been subjected to any violence. Neither did they have any toxic substances in their systems.
“In our judgment, the woman died from illness and her daughter died as a result of that,” said Per Envall of the Västmanland County police in a statement.
The ongoing murder investigation has therefore been halted. However, police were not willing to divulge any details surrounding Kjærsti Guseck's illness.
Exactly when they died is also hard to tell, according to police, but it is likely that the baby outlived her mother.
“She died of exhaustion and starvation because her mother died before her. It is an unpleasant case. Tragic,” Lund told Aftonbladet.
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“The baby died from exhaustion and starvation,” said police spokesperson Terje Lund to Swedish daily Aftonbladet.
When the bodies of the deceased mother, Kjærsti Elida Guseck, and her baby, Verona, were found in January, police were unable to rule out foul play.
Newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) reported at the time that the woman was originally from western Norway, but had moved to Sweden in 2008 because she didn’t feel safe in her home country.
Police sources told Aftonbladet that the woman had lived at a secret address for a period as a result of threats made against her.
In 2010, her then boyfriend was convicted in Sweden after assaulting the woman and threatening to kill her.
The woman had six children in all, but only had custody of the youngest, the infant girl found dead in the apartment.
Neighbours told Aftonbladet at the time that the woman had lived in the area for several years and was "always happy and a fantastic mother".
The police investigation has shown that neither Kjærsti Guseck nor her child had been subjected to any violence. Neither did they have any toxic substances in their systems.
“In our judgment, the woman died from illness and her daughter died as a result of that,” said Per Envall of the Västmanland County police in a statement.
The ongoing murder investigation has therefore been halted. However, police were not willing to divulge any details surrounding Kjærsti Guseck's illness.
Exactly when they died is also hard to tell, according to police, but it is likely that the baby outlived her mother.
“She died of exhaustion and starvation because her mother died before her. It is an unpleasant case. Tragic,” Lund told Aftonbladet.
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