Cause of death revealed for toddler whose head was stuck in kitchen play set

A three-year-old girl from Florida who died after she was found with her head stuck inside a kitchen play set while at a babysitter’s home died from “probable positional asphyxia,” officials said.

A report from the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office, viewed and obtained by Global News, said the St. Mary’s Medical Center pediatric intensive care unit reached out to the office on July 27 “regarding the brain death of Briella Holmes.”

The girl died on July 27, four days after Boynton Beach police said the child was found “unresponsive and not breathing” on July 23.

“Boynton Beach Fire Rescue responded and transported the decedent to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with an anoxic brain injury. RN Berkosky reported that Dr. Hernandez declared the decedent brain dead” on July 27, according to the report.

The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office listed Holmes’ cause of death as “probable positional asphyxia,” which occurs when your body is in a position that blocks or obstructs your breathing, according to the Cleveland Clinic . It most commonly occurs in newborn babies or infants who aren’t strong enough to reposition their bodies.

Her manner of death was listed as an “accident,” and it was also noted that the injury occurred as the “decedent was reportedly wedged in a wooden play oven.”

The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office said that Holmes had no trauma to the body or “any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.”

In a news release shared on July 24, Boynton Beach police said they were dispatched to the Meadows of Boynton Beach community just after 11 a.m. local time on July 23 for reports of a three-year-old child who was found unresponsive and not breathing.

“Upon arrival, officers located the toddler and immediately began life-saving measures. Boynton Beach Fire Rescue arrived on scene and transported the child to a local hospital, where they remain in critical condition,” police said in the news release.

According to the preliminary investigation, the toddler, along with her sibling, was at a babysitter’s house when the incident occurred.

“The babysitter left the residence and left the children in their spouses’ care. During this time, the spouse remained upstairs as the children played downstairs, periodically checking on the children and giving them snacks. The spouse came down to check on the children and located the 3-year-old with their head stuck in a kitchen play set,” police said.

The spouse removed the child and immediately began performing life-saving measures until first responders arrived, according to the news release.

“The toddler’s sibling advised that the child’s toys had fallen into the kitchen play set when they attempted to retrieve the toys and became stuck,” police said.

Investigators told CBS affiliate WPEC that the playset was “an old wooden set that was bought off of Facebook Marketplace” and noted they did not know the make, model or brand at the time.