Florida state authorities have said that an 8-year-old girl has died after being dared to drink boiling water.
Ki’ari Pope suffered breathing difficulties and became unresponsive. Rescue crews rushed the girl to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Pope’s mother, Marquisia Bonner, of Boyton Beach, Florida, said that her daughter was dared to drink the boiling water by her cousin in March.
After the incident, Ki’ari received a tracheotomy, which is an incision in the windpipe that reportedly left her deaf and with chronic respiratory problems.
State authorities investigated the incident back in March as well as at least 9 other allegations of either abuse or neglect involving the 8-year-old since her birth.
Department Secretary Mike Carroll released a statement this week saying:
The loss of this child is truly devastating and our condolences go out to all those who loved her.
We have opened a child death investigation to examine the circumstances surrounding her death and will deploy a Critical Incident Rapid Response Team to review all interactions this family has had with Florida’s child welfare system.
We will also continue to work closely with law enforcement to support their continued efforts.At least one of those investigations – it is unclear which – yielded verified proof of either abuse or neglect.