An 8-year-old girl has died, months after she
was injured from drinking boiling water
through a straw when her cousin dared her
to do it.
Ki’ari Pope, eight, of Boyton Beach, Florida,
U.S. burned her mouth and throat as a result
of the hot water she consumed. She
received a tracheotomy that left her deaf
and with chronic respiratory problems. On
Sunday night, the child started having
trouble breathing and she told her mother’s
boyfriend who then called 911. She was
taken to a hospital where she died on
Monday morning.
Marquisia Bonner, the child’s 22-year-old
mother, says Ki’ari had suffered
complications since March when she took
the dare from her cousin after they watched
a YouTube video where someone appeared
to drink boiling water from a straw. She had
emergency surgery on her windpipe to clear
scar tissue but it left her with respiratory
problems which ultimately led to her death.
Records show Florida Department of
Children and Families, DCF, received reports
of at least nine other allegations of abuse or
neglect involving Ki’ari since her birth. Four
of the most recent prior reports were
received in 2017, two of which occurred
when the child was under the supervision
of a relative. One of the reports in 2017
yielded proof of either abuse or neglect.
DCF Secretary Mike Carroll said a child death
investigation has been opened “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.”
Mike Carroll released a statement on the
death saying: “The loss of this child is truly
devastating and our condolences go out to
all those who loved her.”
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