Preliminary autopsy fails to explain infant death in Bergen

The preliminary autopsy report into the death of an infant found lifeless in Bergen on Thursday has not determined the cause of death, police said Tuesday.

Vest police district said the examination found no injuries that could explain the child’s death, and the cause remains undetermined based on current evidence. The boy, less than one year old, was pronounced dead on Friday.

Further laboratory tests on samples taken from the child are pending before a final autopsy report is completed, police said in a statement. At this stage, authorities cannot provide additional details about the cause of death.

The infant’s parents remain under suspicion. The father has been charged with negligent homicide based on his own statements, observations at the scene, and evidence gathered by investigators. Police declined to elaborate on the basis for the charge.

The mother has been charged with exposing a helpless person to risk. Both parents were released from custody on Friday, though the father’s lawyer confirmed Monday that he has since been hospitalized and denies criminal responsibility. The mother also denies the allegations.

Investigators have seized mobile devices and conducted searches of the apartment where the child was found and the mother’s residence. The devices are being examined as part of the ongoing inquiry, which remains in its early stages. Police have also confirmed that additional items were seized during the scene investigation.

Senior prosecuting counsel Tone Solfjeld told Dagbladet that investigators are pursuing multiple working hypotheses about how the child may have died, but none have been confirmed.

“We have several hypotheses about how he may have died, but as the autopsy report shows, the cause remains unclear,” she said.

Asked whether there were signs of violence, she replied: “We have no information indicating that violence was inflicted on him.”