Burglars break into home where 2-year-old boy was found starved to death next to dad's body
The flat where two-year-old Bronson Battersby was found dead alongside his dad Kenneth was broken into by burglars just hours after the bodies were discovered.
The toddler was found dead next to the body of his 60-year-old father, who is believed to have suffered a fatal heart attack at their home in Skegness, on 9 January - two weeks after they were last seen alive on Boxing Day.
Following the death of his dad, the two-year-old boy was left in the dark with no food or water for days before his death.
Lincolnshire Police was contacted on two occasions after a social worker from Lincolnshire County Council visited the address and got no answer after knocking on the door.
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Lincolnshire County Council has begun to carry out a 'rapid review' of various agencies in the area following the tragic deaths.
Lincolnshire Police has referred itself to police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
A spokesperson of the Lincolnshire Police stated: "The exact actions of organisations involved will be analysed in a forthcoming review and at this stage it would be inappropriate to comment further.
"As part of standard procedures we have referred this to the IOPC as a result of a death or serious injury following police involvement."
Today (18 January), it has emerged that Battersby’s flat had been broken into after the bodies were found.
A Lincolnshire Police spokesperson said: "At around 12 noon we received a report of a burglary at Prince Alfred Avenue on Friday, 12 January.
"The incident took place sometime between the 10 January and the 12 January. The offenders are thought to have used a bedroom window to gain entry. Our investigations are ongoing."
The flat’s landlady, Maria Clifton-Plaice, told the Daily Mail the burglars got in via a back window and believes they may have stolen money and medication.
She said: “They got in via a back window. They prised open the window, bent the hinges back and crawled through.
“The television wasn't taken or any other valuable items but I noticed a few things out of place in the kitchen.
“I looked in the cupboard where Kenny would keep a wallet with his rent money in and it had gone.”
She added: “It was just a day after Kenny and Bronson had been found dead in the living room. It makes you despair really, how low can people stoop?”
Claire Reid