The newborn baby found lifeless in a cabin of the Silver Whisper cruise ship on May 19th after the commander’s report appears to have died of natural causes. According to the first autopsy checks on the baby’s body, highlighted by the medical examiner Mario Gabbrielli in his preliminary report, it may have been an infection that killed him two days after giving birth. For this reason, judge Sergio Compagnucci ordered the release of Chan Jheansel Pia Salahid’s mother, a 28-year-old of Filipino origins. Two other colleagues also ended up in handcuffs with her, also accused of voluntary homicide and then released from prison this morning when the charge was reclassified by the investigating judge as child abandonment. The precautionary measure was initially confirmed for the mother, then the first evidence from the autopsy led the judge to decide to release her from prison.
The unexpected birth on board
The 28-year-old, who works as a kitchen helper on the ship, has always denied wanting to cause the death of her son Tyler. During the validation hearing, the lawyer assisting the woman, Giovanni Di Meglio, explained that the 28-year-old was taken by surprise when her son was born, convinced that she was further behind in her pregnancy and could manage the situation. Immediately after leaving Salerno, however, there was a birth on board. «You found yourself faced with a very difficult situation – explained the lawyer quoted by Nation – And she did what a person like her could do, which is the best way possible.” The lawyer reiterated how the woman has always taken care of the child: «From the beginning she breast-fed him and hydrated him. She cleaned it when needed. She used women’s sanitary pads because she didn’t have any others.”
Mother’s care
After the baby was born, the 28-year-old allegedly threw the placenta into the ship’s incinerator at night, the lawyer explains. «If she had wanted to get rid of that bundle – added Di Meglio – no one would have noticed during navigation, also taking advantage of the darkness. Because, precisely, it wasn’t in her will.” The woman’s lawyer said that the death of the newborn occurred due to “negligent behavior, certainly not due to intent. She kept her pregnancy a secret because otherwise she would have been fired. Her salary allowed her family to live in the Philippines, there are six of them.”
Photo from Vessel Finder
