Brother and Sister, Aged 6 and 1, Die Alongside 4-Year-Old Friend After Getting Trapped in Freezer
Three children in Florida have tragically died after being trapped inside a chest freezer.
The children, ages 1, 4 and 6 were playing outside in the yard of their home when they allegedly climbed inside the freezer, the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement shared on Facebook.
The freezer was recently brought to the residence and was not yet plugged in or taken inside the home.
A woman, whom authorities identified as the mother of the 4-year-old girl according to News 4 Jax, was watching the children play outside.
She told police she had just left them alone briefly to use the restroom while they were playing and when she returned, she noticed they had vanished, the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office said.
After not being able to locate the children, the woman woke up another woman who also lives on the property, whom authorities identified to The Tallahassee Democrat as the 6-year-old boy and 1-year-old girl’s grandmother.
The grandmother was sleeping at the home before her night shift, and they began searching the property, authorities said. They also looked inside a vacant home next door.
The children were later found unresponsive inside the freezer. The women dialed 911 and attempted to resuscitate the children, but weren’t successful, the sheriff’s office said.
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Authorities said that upon further inspection of the freezer, they discovered a hasp had been installed on the lid “in order to secure a padlock on it.”
“It is believed at this time, that when the children entered the freezer, and the lid closed, the hasp fell shut, trapping the children inside,” the sheriff’s office read.
At this time, police do not suspect foul play, but the investigation is still ongoing.
The case will be forwarded to the Third Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office for review, Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office explained.
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The Florida Department of Children and Families will also be looking into the incident.
A representative for the state attorney’s office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
