An eight-year-old girl from Florida died months after she drank Boiling Water through a straw. Reports said that the girl did it because she was dared by her cousins. The girl, identified as Ki’ari Pope, did the dare back in March and had undergone surgeries and operations as a result of drinking the boiling water. CBS News reported that Pope and her cousins watched YouTube videos showing people doing the Hot Water Challenge.
Pope told her mother's boyfriend that she could not breathe
Pope died on July 30. Less than an hour before she died, Pope told her mother’s boyfriend that she was having trouble breathing.
The boyfriend then called 911 but Pope lost consciousness before she was taken to a hospital.
Mother explains daughter’s situation
Pope’s mother, 32-year-old Marquisia Bonner, said that her daughter had to have emergency surgery on her windpipe because doctors had to clear scar tissue from the incident. She has been having trouble breathing and talking for the past months due to drinking the boiling water.
Initially, Bonner did not take Pope to the hospital after she did the dare. She thought that her daughter drank hot water from the faucet and not boiling water. Bonner let her daughter drink cold water and she later went to bed that day. However, hours later, Pope woke up and was crying because she said it burned.
Pope’s aunt, Diane Johnson, said in a statement that when the eight-year-old girl was dared to do the Hot Water Challenge, she did not hesitate and told her cousins that she would do it and show them all she was not scared. It is unclear how old her cousins were.
Per a GoFundMe page set up for Pope’s family to cover her medical expenses and funeral fees, they wrote that she had a tracheotomy after she burned her mouth.
Aside from having trouble breathing and talking, she also became deaf and had chronic respiratory problems.
Florida Department of Children and Families launch investigation
According to The Epoch Times, the Florida Department Of Children and Families opened an investigation on the death of Pope since she and her family have been involved with the department from 2009 up to the present year.
The department’s secretary, Mike Carroll, said that they will deploy a “critical incident rapid response team to review all interactions” the family of Pope had with the state’s welfare system. Authorities said that there are nine other allegations of abuse and neglect involving Pope. Her mother did not comment on this matter.
Aunt warns other parents
Johnson said that parents should talk to their kids about what they see on YouTube and social networking platforms. She pointed out that parents should watch what their kids are watching and should not just let their kids have their phone and leave them alone.
Pope’s funeral will be held on August 12 at Johnson’s Memorial Chapel in Boynton, Florida.
