Marion County Coroner Troy Cannon says an autopsy shows a infections bacterial infection led to the death of a three year old child who died on a bus taking immigrants from Texas to Chicago last month.
Cannon says the bacterial infection (Singella Flexnery Colitis) and aspiration pneumonia along with diarrhea and vomiting, led to electrolyte abnormalities and swelling of the brain and the eventual death of Jismary Gonzalez. Cannon says her extremely low weight and length for her age was a significant contributing factor in her death.
Cannon says public health departments and any other agencies involved with Gonzalez prior to her death, and those who were in close quarters with her should be made aware of the multiple infectious disease findings and her cause of death.
Cannon says the child reportedly began experiencing mild symptoms and began feeling ill as the family boarded the bus in Brownsville, Texas. At that point, she had only a low-grade fever, and was allowed to board the bus. During the trip, her symptoms worsened, and developed into vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite and dehydration. She was given nourishing electrolyte drinks from supplies on the bus. Another passenger with a child had a thermometer and it was used at some point to take Gonzalez’s temperature, which showed as 100.1 degrees. Further into the trip, the child’s condition worsened and she began having difficulty breathing.
At about the 128 mile-marker of Interstate 57, the mother discovered the child was unconscious and unresponsive, and the bus pulled to the side of the highway. A security guard on the bus called 911 and reported the situation.
Units from the Kinmundy/Alma Fire Department arrived quickly, removed the child and her parents form the bus and immediately began resuscitation efforts on the way to the hospital. The ALS unit from United intercepted them enroute and began administering more specialized care and quickly transported the girl and her parents to the Salem Township Hospital emergency department. Resuscitation efforts continued, but were unsuccessful. The child was pronounced deceased by the attending ER physician.
The deceased child and her parents all originally migrated from Venezuela and entered the United States at the Brownsville entry and processing facility.
Cannon says the investigation into the circumstances of her death was immediate, is ongoing and being conducted by Cannon, the Southern Illinois Child Death Task Force, and the Illinois Department of Public Health.
