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Ohio toddler dies on front porch in freezing weather

Posted at 1:59 PM, Feb 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-05 13:59:34-05

AKRON, Ohio - Police in Akron, Ohio are investigating the death of a 2-year-old girl who was found out in the cold on her front porch.

The frantic mother called 911 after discovering her 2-year-old unresponsive. The girl was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital where she died.

The temperature for much of Friday remained in the teens.

“You're gonna carefully tilt the head back, you're gonna pinch her nose closed and completely cover her mouth with your mouth and blow two regular breaths into the lungs," says a dispatcher on the 911 call.

Police were called to the apartment around 3:30 p.m. on Friday.  The mother told the 911 dispatcher she found her daughter 'frozen' outside.

"I cried because I just don't understand how a 2-year-old could be outside and you not know," neighbor Crystal Lucas told WJW.

Lucas says the woman who lives in the apartment kept to herself and had two children, the 2-year-old girl and a boy.  She was surprised when police officers knocked on her door.

"It was freezing and that was my biggest worry when the cops came, when they started asking about the kids, they didn't divulge what was really going on, but when he asked about the kids, obviously something was going on and I was worried," Lucas said.

Neighbors say they would occasionally hear people arguing outside of the apartment.  Lucas says she has seen both children outside alone before.

"I've had to take the baby home because she'll be outside playing…it was a few times that I had to take both of her kids home," she said.

No one answered the door when WJW went to the apartment.

"It's just a very sad situation, it literally broke my heart," said Lucas.

Police are not releasing the toddler’s name, but say they are still investigating. The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office will be conducting an autopsy.