Police are looking into the sleeping arrangements of an influencer and her infant son after the six-week-old the baby died in his sleep.
Veruca Salt, whose real name is Kimberley Summer Hartley, revealed in a heartbreaking Instagram post on Tuesday that her six-week-old son Cash had ‘died in his sleep’ the previous morning.
It’s believed detectives are looking into the baby’s sleeping arrangements before the tragic incident, reported the Courier-Mail.
Police arrived at the 25-year-old’s Southport unit this week but detectives have already ruled out suspicious circumstances and are preparing a report for the state coroner.
While the news sparked an outpouring of grief from Veruca’s followers, it has also prompted keyboard warriors to take aim at the grieving new mum as she tries to grapple with the devastating loss.
One viewer questioned how the TikTok star was filming and uploading videos to the platform so soon after her son’s death. Veruca told the commenter: ‘You have no idea’
The 25-year-old hit back at a viewer who questioned how she was able continue filming and uploading videos to the platform in the wake of her newborn’s death.
‘No hate but I don’t know how people can make TikToks just after their kids have died. Like setting up the camera, voiceovers, editing,’ the person wrote.
‘I would be in bed for weeks, an absolute mess. RIP.’
Veruca fired back on Wednesday night.
READ MORE: Veruca Salt took her newborn baby Cash to hospital after getting a feeling that something was wrong. Doctors said he was fine. Hours later tragedy struck – and police are investigating
TikTok star Veruca Salt has revealed her newborn baby boy Cash has died
‘Your baby is not dead, mine is,’ Veruca responded.
‘I was literally talking about this with my friends, like it won’t take long to do something for people to say “that’s not how I would act” from people who are literally imagining how it would be,’ she said.
‘You have no idea, because your baby is not dead. Mine is, and I found him like that and it’s not happening to you.
‘And if it was happening to you, you would know that bed is the last place you want to be, because God forbid you f***ing fall asleep.
‘Every time you wake up you’re going to forget, and you’re going to go get your baby and he’s not going to be there.
‘And you’re going to be in somebody else’s house, in somebody else’s bed because nobody’s going to leave you alone.
‘And you’re not going to want to go home to your bed. You’re not going to want to go home at all because your baby is all over the house.
‘You have no idea the things that are going on in my head every five seconds.
‘I feel insane. I feel crazy. And you don’t get it.’
Followers quickly leapt to Veruca’s defence and assured her that she didn’t have to explain her actions.
‘Everyone grieves so different. Please don’t ever feel that you have to explain yourself. Don’t let people tell you to be strong and stop crying,’ one woman wrote.
Another added: ‘YOU grieve however you need to. Post 1000 times a day or not at all. F whoever has an issue. No one knows this type of pain unless they’ve suffered a loss of this magnitude.’
Veruca said in a TikTok video on Wednesday that she was too afraid to go home because her ‘baby is everywhere’. She is pictured with her son Cash, who died on Monday morning
The influencer broke down in a TikTok video earlier on Wednesday (pictured) – two days after Cash died. One of his jumpsuits can be seen in the background
Veruca shared a heartbreaking video of her newborn son Cash smiling at her
It comes just hours after Veruca posted a video of her sobbing into her hands, with one of Cash’s jumpsuits seen hanging up in the background.
She captioned the video: ‘I knew he was dead but there was a part of me that really thought they were gonna wake him up.’
Earlier on Wednesday, Veruca shared a video of her smiling newborn.
She could be heard saying: ‘Oh my gosh, I love you so much. Do you know that? Do you know how much I love you?’
Cash smiled and Veruca laughed with the video captioned with a heartbroken emoji.
On Sunday, Veruca revealed on TikTok that the pair were off on Cash’s ‘first trip to the hospital’ because ‘he hasn’t pooped in seven days’.
She cradled Cash in her arms as she fawned over the little boy dressed in a jumpsuit adorned with sea animals, pelicans and lighthouses – unaware she was spending her final precious hours with him.
After returning from hospital on Sunday, Veruca reassured fans that Cash was ‘fine’ in the comments of the video.
A fan of hers wrote in a comment that her children had the same problem as little Cash ‘because I was breastfeeding, and it was all natural’.
Veruca replied: ‘Yeah that’s why I’m not super panicked bc he’s actually fine, I just wanted to check.’
Hours later, her little boy died.
Veruca, whose real name is Kimberley Summer Hartley, shared the sad news on Instagram
Her social media accounts have been flooded with condolence messages after she announced Cash’s death in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
Her social media accounts have been flooded with condolence messages after she announced Cash’s death in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
‘It is with a heavy heart that I’m writing this. My baby died in his sleep on Monday morning,’ she wrote.
‘I don’t know what happened, he is having an autopsy this week but it is unlikely that I’ll ever have an answer.
‘I’m just saying this because people are still commenting on my TikToks saying how happy I look with him and ‘just wait for the toddler stage’ and stuff, and I really can’t take it anymore. I’m really sorry.’
Queensland Police said initial inquiries indicate the death was not suspicious.
‘At the moment, it’s still under investigation and we’re awaiting autopsy results,’ Gold Coast Superintendent Craig Hanlon said.
‘It’s obviously a tragic situation and our hearts go out to the mother and the family.’
Police confirmed they were called to a unit in Southport around 6.13am on Monday.
TikTok star Veruca Salt, 25, revealed her newborn baby boy Cash had died on Monday
Veruca has shared dozens of moments from her first six weeks with Cash, which she described as ‘experiencing the purest form of love’
Veruca gave birth to her son, Cash Harrison Stirling, on December 19 and confirmed the news with her followers in an Instagram post.
‘My perfect gorgeous angel baby,’ she wrote alongside footage of his birth.
Veruca has shared dozens of moments from her first six weeks with Cash, which she described as ‘experiencing the purest form of love’.
The Instagram star first announced her pregnancy in June by sharing a photo of herself with a cake with blue in the centre.
In September, Veruca revealed she had recently moved into an apartment on the Gold Coast after returning from a stint in London.
The social media and OnlyFans star was born in New Zealand but has lived in Australia since she was three.
For confidential support call Griefline: 1300 845 745
Veruca first announced her pregnancy in June by sharing a photo of a white and blue cake
