Unravelling the mysterious death of three-year-old Scarborough girl

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Investigators returned to a Scarborough apartment Thursday to collect samples of more items in the hopes of unravelling the mystery of what killed one three-year-old girl and sickened another during a weekend sleepover.

The Office of the Chief Coroner is conducting a sudden death investigation and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has been analyzing samples of food products to determine if they contain anything that could have caused Bernice Nantanda Wamala to become so ill that she died within hours.

A source has told the Sun the investigation initially “focused” on Golden Morn — an African cereal made of corn and soya by Nestlé Central & West Africa that the two best friends both ate for breakfast Sunday.

Nestlé Canada issued a statement Thursday offering their “deepest condolences” to the little girl’s family in the wake of the “devastating loss” and explaining there has been no other reports of illness tied to Golden Morn.

“At Nestlé, the safety of our products is our number one priority and we are fully cooperating with the authorities as they investigate this case and assisting in any way that we can,” Nestlé said in the statement.

“This product is not imported by Nestlé Canada but we have immediately contacted the producing market and they confirmed that they have had no similar issues or concerns with the product in question.”

Bernice became lethargic and had stomach pain after eating breakfast, then she vomited and soiled herself.

Her mom, Maurine Mirembe, has said she went to get her daughter from a neighbouring apartment in the same building on Birchmount Rd., near St. Clair Ave. E., around 10 a.m. and soon after Bernice began having seizures.

The tot’s fingers, toes, and lips were also grey, she said.

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Mirembe claims she called 911 expecting an ambulance to be dispatched to transport her building but somehow ended up on the phone with a Telehealth Ontario nurse who advised her to take her child to the hospital herself.

A friend drove her to Michael Garron Hospital where her daughter died a few hours later. She believes if an ambulance had been dispatched her daughter likely would have been taken to Sick Kids and may have been saved.

Bernice’s best friend also became ill but survived and remained in hospital at Sick Kids as of Wednesday.

Toronto Paramedic Services spokesperson Kim McKinnon was unable to comment on Mirembe’s claim or explain why an ambulance wasn’t sent due to “patient privacy legislation.”

“We are so sorry to hear about this tragic loss,” she said, offering to connect the grief-stricken mom with the services’ professional standards unit if she wants to “have an investigation opened.”

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Meanwhile, a friend of Mirembe’s told the Sun both girls had Methemoglobinemia — a blood disorder where not enough oxygen is delivered to the cells. It can be caused by certain medicines, foods and chemicals, including pesticides.

A source says the ninth-floor apartment where Bernice spent the night was recently fumigated but pesticide has been ruled out as the cause of her death.

A GoFundMe has been started to help Mirembe lay her little girl to rest in Uganda.

cdoucette@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @sundoucette