Parents of Boy, 2, Who Died After 'Fatal Medical Episode' at Preschool Say They're 'Devastated Beyond Words'

Mar. 15, 2025

Jude Gerrard.Photo:Merseyside Police

Merseyside Police

The parents of a2 year old boy who diedat a preschool in England have paid tribute to their son in a heartbreaking statement.

On Tuesday, Jan. 14, the toddler “suffered a fatal medical episode” at the Early Learners Day Nursery in the Liverpool suburb of Bootle, police confirmed in astatementon Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Police have since identified the 2-year-old as Jude Gerrard, whom they said had been taken to hospital after the tragic incident, which occurred at around 12:35 p.m. local time, per a Tuesday, Jan. 21release.

“A postmortem has been conducted, but the cause of death withheld pending further reports,” police added, per the post.

Jude Gerrard.Merseyside Police

“I know all parents think this about their own children, but Jude truly was so incredibly special," they added. “Everybody who ever met him couldn’t help but instantly love him, and he had so much love for everyone too, even if he’d pretend to web you like Spider-Man or wrestle you like Hulk Hogan.”

The parents continued, “Our lives will never be the same again, he really was too good to be true and we can’t believe he has been taken away from us like this, with something so preventable. He deserved so, so much more. We count ourselves so lucky we got to be his [mommy] and daddy for two and a half years, even though he should have had so much more time."

“Please respect our privacy as we process and grieve this unimaginable loss and the police continue to investigate what happened to our amazing, beautiful, caring boy, Judie," they concluded.

TheBBCpreviously reported that the preschool was closed following the tragedy. Nobody answered when PEOPLE attempted to call and the establishment didn’t immediately respond to a follow-up email sent on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The preschool’sFacebookpage also appears to have been taken down.

A photo of Early Learners Day Nursery in Bootle, England.Google Maps

Google Maps

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“To enable everyone to process today’s tragic events, we have made the decision to close the nursery for the remainder of the week, and also to allow us to continue working with relevant agencies,” the preschool’s message added.

“We trust that you understand our decision at this difficult time and we will update you all with further information in the coming days,” the message concluded. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”

The report added that the establishment had been a registered preschool since 1994 and, at the time, employed 18 members of staff.

source: people.com