Young girl dies in Vidalia

Published 12:13 am Friday, June 24, 2011

VIDALIA — A 7-year-old Vidalia girl died Wednesday at Riverland Medical Center after being transported there from her house.

The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office has ordered an autopsy in their investigation of the case to determine the cause of death.

Concordia Parish Sheriff Randy Maxwell said the sheriff’s office received a 911 call at 2:41 p.m. Wednesday stating that the child, Jaonna T. Augustine, was unresponsive at her Ralph Road residence.

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Maxwell said the girl was with family members at her residence.

CPSO Sgt. Adam Kirk arrived to the scene ahead of the ambulance services, and Augustine was being given CPR from someone on the scene.

Kirk took over CPR until the emergency medical services arrived, and transported the child to Riverland Medical Center where she later died.

Maxwell said witnesses from the residence have reported that the child may have been eating and choked, but an autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.

Maxwell also said that after preliminary investigations, no signs of foul play are suspected.

“We have taken statements from everyone, and all indications are pointing toward an accidental death,” he said. “But we still have the case open.”

Maxwell said the sheriff’s office won’t know the actual cause of death until the autopsy results return from New Orleans.

Maxwell said he sent members from his office and the district attorney’s office to New Orleans early Thursday morning to check on the autopsy results, but that he does not know when to expect them back.

“They will never give you a date on when to expect the results back in,” he said. “Things go a lot slower than we would like them too, but we understand they have a lot of tests to do.”

Maxwell said the incident was a terrible tragedy for Concordia Parish and the family involved.

“I have a 7-year-old grandbaby myself, and I can only imagine the heartbreak the family is going through right now,” he said. “What can be more devastating than losing a child?”

The case remains under investigation by the CPSO.