Child survives alone after grandmother dies while looking after her

'When I grabbed her, she just couldn’t hold her head up'

Brier Rose Ineichen was reportedly found crying in her crib by her mother's boyfriend (file image) (Rex)

A child was left on her own for days after her grandmother died while looking after her.

The 15-month-old, believed to be called Brier Rose Ineichen, had to be treated for dehydration and lack of food at hospital after she was found on 14 November, ABC’s WATE reported.

Annette Ineichen had been looking after her granddaughter at her home in Tennessee while the child's mother, Tracy Ineichen, was in prison.

As Tracy had not been able to contact Ms Ineichen since 7 November, she asked her boyfriend to visit the home a week later.

Anthony Waldo said he saw the child crying in a crib inside the house. He contacted the police and Tracy before forcing his way into the home.

He told Local8now.com: “When I grabbed [Brier Rose], she just couldn’t hold her head up. She was just hugging on me and collapsed on me.”

Officers from Maryville Police Department found the body of Ms Ineichen in the bathroom. It is not yet known what caused her death.

Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp told WBIR.com they had not established when she died: “We found her on November 14th, so doing that math, we know it could’ve been up to seven days. Based on the condition of the body, we think somewhere between three and five days, but that’s just speculation for now.”

WATE reported that the Department for Children’s Services was trying to find somewhere for the child to stay.