A little girl has passed away, months after she suffered severe burns from drinking boiling water through a straw for a dare.
Little Ki’ari Pope, aged eight, from Boynton Beach Florida, had to undergo an emergency tracheostomy after she drank boiling water through a straw in March. The little girl’s cousin had dared to drink the water after they had watched a YouTube video of someone doing this.
She suffered burns to her mouth and throat and needed to have a tracheostomy. The surgery left her with respiratory problems and unable to talk, according to her mother Marquisia Bonner.
On Sunday night, Ki'ari came out of her bedroom and told her mother's boyfriend that she was having trouble breathing, according to a social work report provided to Buzzfeed News.
The man went to find something and when he returned little Ki’ari was unconscious and unresponsive. He called 911 and the little girl was taken to hospital. Sadly, she passed away the next day. The authorities are still trying to establish her cause of death.
Ki’ari’s mum said her daughter loved to dance and play basketball. The little girl was due to have a doctor’s appointment for a check-up on Friday August 4th.
"She was just a little girl full of life," Bonner told the Sun Sentinel. "Everyone loved her."
The Department of Children and Families (DCF) is investigating the circumstances of Ki’ari’s death and reviewing previous interactions the family had with the child welfare system in Florida.
The DCF say they had received numerous reports about the family between 2009 and 2016, including allegations of domestic violence between Ki’ari’s mother and her boyfriend.
They also received a report about the incident leading to Ki’ari’s burns and several other allegations about her being poorly supervised.
As the little girl underwent a tracheostomy, the family’s insurance company will not pay for funeral arrangements. The family have set up a GoFundMe fundraiser asking the public to help them cover the costs of the funeral.
Her mother Marquisia wrote: “We need help assisting with Kiari's funeral and burial arrangements and to secure a church.
“The funeral home is Johnson's funeral home which is located in Boynton Beach.
“Anything will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance please keep my family in prayers”.
It’s an unbelievably heartbreaking story – we are thinking of Ki’ari’s family and friends at this sad time.
