FLORENCE, Ky.—Police in northern Kentucky say an 11-year-old autistic boy has died after being found submerged in a neighbor’s pool.
Boone County sheriff’s Lt. Philip Ridgell says in a news release Madou Ba’s death is believed to be an accidental drowning.
Autistic Kentucky boy dies after entering neighbor’s pool: https://t.co/7Rsdp7VyqY pic.twitter.com/i7OQ1V4AE9
— WDRB News (@WDRBNews) June 30, 2019
The statement says the boy was found unconscious in a pool June 29 in Florence and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Police say the boy apparently scaled a fence and took off his shirt prior to entering the neighbor’s backyard.
Florence is about 12 miles southwest of Cincinnati.
Teacher Accused of Dragging Autistic Boy in School Hallways
Earlier this year, a Kentucky teacher was charged with assault, after a video showing her dragging a 9-year-old boy through a school’s corridors was posted to social media.
Trina Abrams was charged with fourth-degree assault on a victim under 12 years old after an investigation of the video footage took place, according to Kentucky State Police, reported CNN.
The boy’s mother, Angel Nelson, posted the school’s video surveillance to Facebook on Jan. 6, asking for the public for “help and advice.” The video showed Abrams dragging the boy, who Nelson said has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, PTSD, anxiety, and depression, by the wrist through the school hallways. The boy could be seen lying on his back or knees.
“We as parents trust teachers and school staff on a daily basis to help teach and help our children succeed. We should never have to worry about anything like this ever happening,” she wrote in the post.
The incident occurred in October last year at Wurtland Elementary school in Greenup County. According to Nelson, Abrams forcefully grabbed the boy’s wrist and bent it back while he was experiencing a breakdown. After the child let go of his chair, the teacher then removed him from the classroom. The boy told his mother than the teacher had thrown him hard down onto a chair in front of several of his classmates.
Kentucky elementary teacher fired after surveillance video showed her dragging nine-year-old autistic boy through hallway by his wrists https://t.co/hKYdYsXcWj
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) January 9, 2019
“Beyond this, we will never truly know what took place behind that closed door because of my son’s speech limitations,” she wrote. “This incident was violent enough to not only injure my child but to also destroy his shoes.”
The cameras in the classroom had previously been turned toward the corner, so no footage of the incident in the classroom was captured.
“It is my belief that all schools should be required to have cameras in place (that can not be turned to a corner) in order to protect students and teachers,” the mother added.
Nelson said as a result her son suffered a sprain in his left wrist, which started swelling and bruising the days following. She added that her son will require occupational therapy to regain his fine motor skills like handwriting, buttoning pants, and tying shoes.
“This has also emotionally traumatized him,” she said. “My son deserves justice. I feel as though Mrs. Abrams should be held accountable for her actions.”
Epoch Times reporter Janita Kan contributed to this report.
