The inquest into the death of an 11-month-old baby boy heard the child’s father, who took his own life, had been “jealous” of him.
A verdict of unlawful death was returned at the inquest into the death of Karol Rozycki in his parents' bedroom in an apartment in Killarney.
He was found alongside his severely injured father, 32-year-old Andrzej Piolunowicz, shortly before 6pm at Park Place Apartments, Killarney, in a locked bedroom on March 6th, Mother's Day, 2016.
Both were lying on the bed. Mr Piolunowicz was still breathing.
Written with blue marker on the white pillow slip in Polish was the sentence, “You are free Annie, Enjoy your life. We love you,” the inquests heard.
No medical cause of death could be identified in the case of baby Karol, State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said. There was no abnormality, no evidence of ingestion of drugs or alcohol and no trauma apart from two tiny bruises. X-rays were normal.
However, the death scene was important, Dr Bolster said. And, given the circumstances, smothering was most likely. The jury of six men brought in a verdict of unlawful death.
Self-inflicted wounds
Mr Piolunowicz died four days later at Cork University Hospital, due to self-inflicted wounds. He had taken a mixture of over-the-counter medicines in the toxic range. The jury returned a verdict of suicide in his case.
The child’s mother, Anna Rozycka, originally from Cieszyn in eastern Poland, began a relationship with Mr Piolunowicz in June 2014. Two months later she was pregnant. They decided to set up home together, but after two weeks together the relationship ended. She returned to Poland where Karol was born in April 2015, she said in her deposition read by Supt Flor Murphy.
Back in Ireland in July 2015 she resumed contact with her child’s father and in February 2016 they once more set up home together. However, matters did not work out.
On the night of March 5th, she told Mr Piolunowicz that, for her, “Karol was always going to come first,” and she did not see a future for them together. She felt he was jealous of Karol and of the fact she could provide for him.
“I told him that Karol was my world. That he was the most important person in my life and always would be,” she said.
On March 6th, things were normal when she was leaving for work. But at 5.30pm when she returned home there were no lights in the apartment.
The father and son were found together on the bed.