Remember me
The parents of a 16-month-old boy who displayed common cold-like symptoms, including a runny nose, described it as their "worst nightmare" when they discovered he had suddenly passed away in his sleep. Anya Sousa, 41, a beauty therapist from Sheffield, described her son Leonardo, affectionately known as Leo, as a "very easy and happy baby", while her husband Hugo Sousa, 45, a restaurant manager originally from Portugal, recalled that their son "always wanted to cuddle".
In the days leading up to Leo's death on January 1, 2024, Anya revealed that the entire family – including their daughter Sienna, now six – had been suffering from colds following a holiday in Portugal, leading her to attribute his low energy and lethargy to him feeling "under the weather ". Anya dropped Leo and Sienna off with her mother, Diane Middleton, cautioning her that they had all been "poorly", though nothing appeared particularly concerning at the time.
Diane settled the children down to sleep as usual, but by 8am the following morning, Sienna approached her grandmother saying she could not "wake Leo up". It was then that Anya's mother discovered Leo "not breathing and cold", prompting her to immediately contact the emergency services, who instructed her to carry out CPR.
Anya and Hugo were urgently contacted and, upon completing the 10-minute journey, found Leo already in the back of an ambulance. Hugo confessed they were "not prepared" to see their son had died, with Anya adding that their "whole world changed" from that moment onwards.
A full post-mortem examination in May 2024 revealed traces of Streptococcus A (Strep A) in Leo's blood. According to the NHS, Strep A symptoms are most commonly mild – encompassing flu-like symptoms, a sore throat and a rash – but can occasionally develop into something far more serious.
Following Leo's death, Anya and Hugo raised over £10,000 for the charity Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC UK) by completing a 50km Ultra Challenge Walk in the Peak District on July 4, 2026.
Anya said: "The last thing you expect is to find your child dead in the morning. Now, usually my daughter's awake before us, but on occasion, she's still asleep in bed.
"The walk up to her bedroom is horrendous even today because you're not going up to wake her up with kisses and cuddles, you're going up to see if she's still alive. No parents should have to do that."
The couple described Anya's pregnancy with Leo and his birth on August 15, 2022, as "absolutely fine" with "no issues or problems". Anya recalled that Leo contracted a staph infection within a couple of months of being born, requiring antibiotics and triggering eczema that left his skin itchy and red, yet it "never bothered" her son and he remained a "happy baby" throughout.
In December 2023, the family embarked on a Christmas break to Portugal, returning just two days before New Year's Eve. Upon coming home, Anya noted they were all exhausted and suffering from cold-like symptoms.
On New Year's Eve, they visited the park and Anya observed Leo was "a bit quiet" before returning home. Hugo played hide-and-seek with Leo until departing for his 3pm shift as a restaurant manager.
He recalled his final memory of his son: "He was just lying on the living room floor, playing. It was just like any other day."
That evening, Anya said Leo was sick following dinner, though this wasn't unusual when he was "so snotty", so she provided him with some milk afterwards and he was "absolutely fine".
Anya said: "Apart from a cold, he didn't have a temperature, he had nothing."
She brought Leo and Sienna to her mother's as arranged, and confirmed that Diane would administer some paracetamol suspension for his symptoms before bedtime.
Anya described what unfolded next: "Sienna and Leo were sleeping in the same room, so Sienna had gone into my mum's room and said, 'I can't wake Leo up'. So my mum went into the room and she found him not breathing and he was cold. Deep down, I think she knew that he was already dead, but she rang for an ambulance and they told her to give him CPR."
When paramedics turned up, they assumed CPR duties and Diane contacted Anya and Hugo with the devastating news, though handed the phone to a paramedic, who explained Leo wasn't breathing and they must come immediately. The parents reached the scene within 10 minutes to discover the road sealed off by police and an ambulance with Leo already inside.
Hugo said: "I didn't know what to do, so I just froze."
Anya recalled: "I remember being next to my son and I've never seen a dead body before, let alone my own child."
Following a check on Diane, who Anya described as being in "complete shock", officers escorted the parents to hospital, where they were permitted to see Leo once more. Hugo stated: "This was my worst nightmare."
Anya explained: "They asked if I wanted to hold my baby and I did, but then I completely freaked out. And then I felt guilty that I couldn't hold my own baby... it was just absolutely horrendous."
Hugo revealed that informing their relatives left him "broken" as they were "screaming on the phone". Within a week, Anya noted an initial post-mortem examination discovered that Leo showed no obvious life-ending indicators such as choking, suffocating or a heart problem.
Regarding the potential cause of death, Hugo commented: "They couldn't see anything."
Five months afterwards, in May 2024, a comprehensive coroner's report identified Streptococcus A in Leo's bloodstream.
Anya recounted a pathologist informing her: "He should have been a lot more ill – there should have been a lot more symptoms."
In the months following Leo's death, the couple's key worker informed them about SUDC UK, a charity supporting individuals who have experienced the sudden unexpected death of a child. The parents received counselling and connected with other parents who had endured similar circumstances, which Anya described as "really helpful".
Two years on, the couple felt emotionally ready to raise funds for the charity by tackling a 50km Ultra Challenge Walk in the Peak District on July 4. Anya described the walk as a "real struggle" and "emotional", particularly as she carried Leo's beloved Mickey Mouse teddy throughout the entire route.
As they crossed the finish line, dressed in matching T-shirts bearing Leo's face, Hugo said: "I just looked to the sky and said, 'I love you'."
The pair, together with six friends and family members, have collectively raised an impressive £10,000 to date.
Anya said: "We did this to support other families that are affected. I think the main thing we want to do is to raise awareness, increase funding for research, and for more people to know that support is there."