'Our son went to bed with a runny nose - he never woke up'

The parents of a 16-month-old boy who displayed common cold-like symptoms including a runny nose said it was their "worst nightmare" to learn he had suddenly died in his sleep. Anya Sousa, 41, a beauty therapist from Sheffield, described her son Leonardo, known as Leo, as a "very easy and happy baby" while her husband, Hugo Sousa, 45, a restaurant manager from Portugal, said their son "always wanted to cuddle". In the days leading up to Leo's death on January 1, 2024, Anya explained the entire family – including their daughter Sienna, now six – had colds after returning from a holiday in Portugal, so she attributed his lack of energy and lethargy to him feeling "under the weather ". Anya left Leo and Sienna with her mother, Diane Middleton, and mentioned they had all been "poorly" but that nothing appeared unusual. Diane settled the children to bed as usual, but by 8am the following morning, Sienna came to her and said she couldn't "wake Leo up".. That's when Anya said her mother discovered Leo "not breathing and cold", prompting her to immediately ring emergency services, who instructed her to perform CPR. Anya and Hugo were contacted and by the time they completed the 10-minute journey, Leo was already in the back of an ambulance. Hugo said they were "not prepared" to see their dead son and Anya added that their "whole world changed" from that day. A comprehensive 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 – including flu-like symptoms, a sore throat and a rash – but can occasionally develop into something far more serious. Following Leo's passing, Anya and Hugo raised in excess of £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 revealed that Leo picked up a staph infection within a couple of months of his birth, which required antibiotics and led to eczema that made his skin itchy and red, yet it "never bothered" her son and he remained a "happy baby". 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 recalled that the whole family felt exhausted and were suffering from cold-like symptoms. On New Year's Eve, the family headed to the park where Anya noticed Leo seemed "a bit quiet" before they returned home. Hugo spent time playing hide-and-seek with Leo until he had to leave for his job as a restaurant manager at 3pm. 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 vomited after dinner, though she didn't consider it unusual given he was "so snotty". She gave him some milk later and he seemed "absolutely fine". Anya said: "Apart from a cold, he didn't have a temperature, he had nothing." She took Leo and Sienna to her mother's as planned, with Diane agreeing to give Leo 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 arrived and took over CPR, Diane rang Anya and Hugo with the devastating news, before handing the phone to a paramedic, who urged them to come immediately as Leo was not breathing. The couple arrived within 10 minutes to find the road cordoned off by police, with Leo already inside the ambulance. 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." After checking on Diane, who Anya described as being in "complete shock", police 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 family left him "broken" as they were "screaming on the phone". Within a week, Anya said an initial post-mortem examination found that Leo showed no obvious life-ending signs like choking, suffocating or a heart problem. Regarding the potential cause of death, Hugo said: "They couldn't see anything." Five months later, in May 2024, a comprehensive coroner's report identified Streptococcus A in Leo's blood. Anya said a pathologist informed 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 introduced them to SUDC UK, a charity supporting those who have experienced the sudden unexpected death of a child. The parents received counselling and connected with other parents who had endured similar tragedies, which Anya described as "really helpful". Two years on, the couple felt emotionally ready to raise funds for the charity by taking on 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 favourite 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'." Together with six friends and family members, the couple have raised an impressive £10,000 in total. 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." To make a donation, visit their fundraising page .