Three-year-old survives on cheese and leftover lasagne as she fends for herself for two days after mother dies

-Police alerted by Lauren Silbery's brother when he hadn't been able to contact her
-'Mummy won't wake up,' Shylah Silbery told officers when they arrived


By CRAIG MACKENZIE



Home alone: Tragic mother Lauren Silbery died unexpectedly, leaving her daughter Shylah to fend for herself in their house for two days


A three-year-old girl fended for herself for two days by eating cheese and leftover lasagne after her mother died suddenly.

Shylah Silbery, from Wellington, New Zealand, hugged her favourite toy - a teddy bear named Possum - as she waited alone in the house near her mother's body.

She was rescued when 28-year-old Lauren Silbery's brother alerted the authorities when he did not hear from his sister, whom he talked to every night.


Police coaxed Shylah to drag a coffee table to the door so she could climb up and unlock it.

She told them: 'Mummy won't wake up.'

Lauren was found face down next to her bed. Her daughter had been able to feed herself and drank milk from the fridge.

Shylah spent several days in hospital recovering from dehydration and nappy rash before attending her mother's funeral.

Her uncle Pete Silbery, 24, said: 'I can only imagine her in there for that long, trying to wake Mum up.'


'She's doing okay now. She's still bubbly. When we lowered the coffin into the grave at the cemetery, though, she pointed at it and said, "Mummy's in there". It was pretty heartbreaking.'


Mr Silbery spoke every night to his sister, but grew so concerned after failing to reach her for two days he rang a friend who lived nearby.

The friend went to the house and saw Shylah inside but no sign of her mother.

The child's grandmother Heather praised Shylah for coping so well with the traumatic experience.

She said the fact her grand-daughter was left alone 'is what really rips into me the most ... just how resourceful my little granddaughter was. She was brilliant'.

Authorities are awaiting the results of an autopsy but don't believe Lauren's death was suspicious.


source:dailymail