A 65-year-old man and a seven-year-old girl died on Tuesday after emergency services were called to a home on Broadleaf Close in East End, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) has confirmed. Two other girls at the house were taken to hospital and are believed to be in stable condition.

Police, the Cayman Islands Fire Service and emergency medical staff were dispatched shortly before 7am on 13 October to what the RCIPS described as a report of a medical emergency at the residence. CPR was administered at the scene to the man and the girl, who were taken to hospital and subsequently pronounced dead, the service said in a statement issued to media partners later that morning.

"Two other female juveniles, who were present at the residence, were also taken to the hospital to receive medical treatment and are believed to be in stable condition," the statement said. "Police are on scene and the matter is under investigation."

The RCIPS has not said what caused the deaths and has not named either of the two people who died. Its statement, headed "Police Investigate Sudden Death in East End", gives no indication of the nature of the emergency and does not say whether any further statement is expected. The service extended "sincere condolences to the family and community of East End as they mourn the loss of their loved ones".

Government statement

The Cayman Islands Government issued its own statement on Tuesday, saying it was "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of two lives, following an incident at a home in East End on the morning of 13 October". "We extend our heartfelt condolences to their family, loved ones and all the East End community," the statement said. "Our thoughts are also with the two children who are being treated and monitored at a local hospital, and we pray for their full recovery." The Government said it was "grateful to the emergency responders and medical personnel attending to those affected" and that further information "will be shared as it becomes available and appropriate to do so".

Neither the Government nor the RCIPS has given the relationship between the four people who were at the house, and neither has named the hospital to which they were taken. The Government's statement describes the four as two lives lost and two children being treated; the RCIPS statement describes the two who died as a 65-year-old male and a seven-year-old female juvenile and the two survivors as female juveniles, without giving their ages.

East End MP

Isaac Rankine MP, the Member of Parliament for East End, said in a post on his social media on Tuesday that it was "with profound sadness and a heavy heart" that he extended his "deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the recent tragedy in East End". As the district's representative, he wrote, his thoughts and prayers were with the entire family "during this incredibly difficult and painful time", and he prayed that they would be granted "strength, comfort, and peace as they navigate this unimaginable loss". He said he also kept "the two children receiving medical care in my thoughts and prayers, asking for their healing, strength, and full recovery".

Rankine said the district had been through a run of bereavements. "Over the past few weeks, our community has experienced a number of losses, and the weight of grief has been felt by many families across East End and the wider Cayman Islands," he wrote, asking that all of those families be kept in people's thoughts, "including the family of Mr. Calvin, who passed away last week". Each loss, he wrote, "leaves behind loved ones who must find the strength to face life without someone dear to them".

He called on the district to "stand together, look out for one another, and extend kindness wherever it is needed", thanked the emergency responders and medical personnel "who continue to assist those affected" and closed with the words "our community mourns together, stands together, and prays together". His post did not refer to the circumstances of the deaths. Contacted by The Caymanian Journal (TCJ) earlier on Tuesday, Rankine said it was "indeed terrible news" but that he would not be discussing the matter out of respect for the family.

Questions put by TCJ

TCJ emailed the RCIPS Media and Communications Unit on 13 October asking what the service could say about the incident and what role it was playing, and asked for as much detail as possible. The RCIPS issued its statement to media partners later the same morning and had provided nothing further by the time of publication.

TCJ also emailed the Government's communications office on 13 October asking why CayMind, the mental health service, had been referenced in connection with the incident and what its relevance was. The version of the Government statement emailed to the media and published on gov.ky does not refer to CayMind. No response had been received by the time of publication.

What happens next

The RCIPS said the matter was under investigation and that officers remained at the Broadleaf Close address on Tuesday. The Government said further information would be shared "as it becomes available and appropriate to do so".