Grieving the unimaginable loss of a child is something no parent wishes to experience. Many of the parents who’ve experienced this particular horror, however, at least have the option of privacy. Sadly, that’s not always possible.
For social media influencer Veruca Salt, losing her newborn son meant sharing the news with the hundreds of thousands of followers who once celebrated his birth.
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'I don't know what happened,' the mom wrote to her Instagram followers.
Salt, a 25-year-old Australian influencer whose real name is Kimberley Summer Hartley, shared the news on social media that her son, Cash Harrison Stirling, had died. In an Instagram story, she wrote, “It is with a heavy heart that I’m writing this. My baby died in his sleep on Monday morning,” News.com.au reported. “I don’t know what happened,” Salt continued. “He is having an autopsy this week but it is unlikely that I’ll ever have an answer.”
Salt seemed to suggest that she didn’t want to bring this tragedy to social media. “I’m just saying this because people are still commenting on my TikTok saying how happy I look with him and ‘just wait for the toddler stage’ and stuff, and I really can’t take it anymore. I’m really sorry,” she wrote in her post.
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Police are still investigating and an autopsy will be done on Cash.
Salt has been sharing her excitement about her little boy since she learned she was pregnant. She first announced her pregnancy in June 2023, when she revealed the gender of her baby by slicing into a blue cake. She gave birth on December 19, 2023.
Queensland police said initial investigations indicate the baby’s death was not suspicious. “It’s still under investigation and we’re awaiting autopsy results,” Gold Coast Police Superintendent Craig Hanlon said via news.com.au. “It’s obviously a tragic situation and our hearts go out to the mother and the family.”
Salt has also shared other videos of her crying.
In the days leading up to Cash’s death on February 5, Salt shared that she was taking her son to the hospital because he had not had a bowel movement in seven days.
On her TikTok page, Salt posted a video of herself crying, facing the camera. Over the video, she wrote the words, “I’m sorry, there’s nothing else we can do.” She stares at the camera before breaking down in tears as she covers her face.
Someone questioned her public mourning.
Although many of the comments on Salt’s page were supportive and loving, there was one person who questioned her grieving process.
“No hate but I don’t know how people can make TikTok’s just after their kids have died. Like setting a camera up, voice overs, editing … I would be in bed for weeks an absolute mess … RIP,” the person wrote.
Salt took the time to reply to that one.
'You have no idea,' Salt said to her critics.
“I was just telling my friends, it won’t take long for people to say, ‘That’s not how I would act.’ From people who are literally imagining how it would be. You have no idea. Because your baby is not dead. Mine is," she said.
"And I found him like that and it’s not happening to you. If it was happening to you, you would know that bed is the last place you want to be. Because God forbid you fall asleep every time you wake up, you’re going to forget. You’re going to go get your baby and he’s not going to be there,” Salt said heartbreakingly.
