A baby who mysteriously died overnight was found to have cocaine in his system.

But it could not be confirmed at an inquest whether the drug had any connection with three-month-old Jordan Groombridge’s death.

No other explanation could be confirmed for the tragedy at his home in Wilson Avenue, Deal, last April 13.

Low levels of the drug were found after post mortem examination. But the medical cause of death was classed as undetermined.

Christopher Morris, assistant coroner for North East Kent, gave an open conclusion at Canterbury Magistrates Court yesterday.

He said: “This case is tragic to the extreme.

“In the circumstances I find myself unable to to find, on the balance of probabilities, how Jordan came by his death and particularly whether or not he died naturally.”

Mr Morris said that evidence could not firm up other possibilities such as sudden infant death syndrome, or a sleeping accident, which can block the airway.

He said: "The evidence doesn’t disclose by what means he came by his death.”

The revelation about the cocaine came from Dr Liina Palm, consultant paediatric pathologist from St Thomas’ Hospital in London.

She was one of two pathologists carrying out a joint examination. The other was consultant forensic pathologist Dr Nathaniel Carey, looking at unnatural causes, such as injury and also making toxicology checks.

Dr Palm said: “I don’t have any suggestion to offer as to why Jordan died, how and the situation he died in.”

But she added: “The more worrying finding in Dr Carey’s opinion was the presence of drugs in Jordan’s blood.

“There were low levels of cocaine and cocaine metabolite (the form of cocaine broken down in the system called benzoylecgonine).”

She said that the baby could have somehow ingested the substance, and that could have been done directly by breastfeeding, or it could have been absorbed into him via the environment.

She said: “I don’t know how significant the presence of the cocaine and metabolite are in connection to the death.

“The presence of illicit drugs is worrisome and for that reason I could not happily say it’s definitely a natural cause of death. It should remain undetermined.”

Mr Morris said: “Both parents denied using drugs in their discussions with (police) officers.”

Dr Palm said that Jordan was otherwise found to be a normally developed and healthy baby, well looked after and with no injuries, abnormalities or congenital conditions.

"There were also no signs of abuse and there was no alcohol in the child’s system.

He had a small virus, common to children of his age, which was thought to have made him snuffly on his last night but tests for that also proved to be negative.

Dr Palm said there was no evidence of a natural cause to make him die suddenly.

She said she could not make a conclusion of another cause, such as airway obstruction in a sleeping accident.

Jordan’s family were not present at the inquest.

Paramedics were called to the Groombridge family home at 7.15am on Wednesday, April 13, 2016.

The baby’s mother, Emine, now 29, woke up that morning, to find him still warm but unresponsive.

Doctors continued to battle for him but be was formally pronounced dead at 8.30am. This was at the hospital he was born in.

Dr Obori Ikeme, consultant paediatrician at the hospital, told the inquest that he believed that Jordan had already died at home but he and colleagues still tried to save him.

He told the hearing: “My impression was that he had died at his home address but we tried to revive him to give the benefit of the doubt.”

Jordan’s father, Kieron Groombridge, now 28, had stayed the night with his cousin after an argument with his wife.

“The presence of illicit drugs is worrisome and for that reason I could not happily say it’s definitely a natural cause of death. It should remain undetermined” - consultant paediatric pathologist Dr Liina Palm

But he returned home that morning as the horror was unfolding.

PC Lionel Clifton said: “He came back that morning, He had walked in and heard screaming.

He ran upstairs and found his wife holding the baby on the landing in her arms.

“He called the ambulance service and was told to do CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation).

The ambulance staff were there within five minutes of him calling, He said that Jordan was still warm.”

Both distraught parents were driven with the emergency services to the hospital.

Mr Morris said: “She (Mrs Groombridge) said words to the effect that she had done this that it was her fault.”

Jordan had still appeared well when the family went to bed that night and when he was fed that evening and in the middle of the night.

Jordan had shared the bed with Mrs Groombridge and his older brother, Alfie, now three.

The inquest heard that Jordan usually slept with his parents in their bed as He couldn’t settle down in his Moses basket.

Dr Ikeme told the inquest that, considering sudden infant death syndrome, a baby should not be allowed to sleep with its parents. But he said that such a death could happen without co-sleeping so the two were not always linked.

Jordan had been born at the QEQM on December 30, 2015 by caesarian. He shortly afterwards received normal inoculation and was breast fed.

After the hearing Police confirmed that they investigated the case but decided to take no further action.

Spokesman Nicola Forman said: “At the time of the death, Kent Police carried out an investigation and following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service it was decided that no further action was to be taken.

“The results of that investigation were passed onto the coroner.”