Riverhead parents plead for answers after 7-month-old unexpectedly dies
Francisca Garcia and her husband Jose Solis say their daughter, Camila, died on Oct. 1 while under the care of a woman who watches children in their neighborhood. A few hours later, they say they got a call saying Camila was found unresponsive.
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A Riverhead family is pleading for answers about the circumstances behind the unexpected death of their 7-month-old daughter two weeks ago.
Francisca Garcia and her husband Jose Solis say their daughter, Camila, died on Oct. 1 while under the care of a woman who watches children in their neighborhood.
A few hours later, they say they got a call saying Camila was found unresponsive.
"As a mother, I'm in pain,” said Garcia. “She was my first child."
They say days later, a police detective told them their daughter died from asphyxiation, but Solis and Garcia say how that happened is unknown.
"We don't know anything,” said Solis. “The police won't give us any details either. Simply, the detective says that she was asphyxiated, but how? We don't know."
Camila's death certificate said the cause of death was pending further study.
"She wasn't sick when I dropped her off. She was healthy,” said Garcia. “I need to know what happened."
News 12 went to that home where the child died. A man there, who says he's the son of that babysitter, and asked to remain anonymous, told News 12 it was an accident.
“My mom has been babysitting kids my entire life,” he said. "This is also a tough situation on us as well because we know that obviously, it was an accident."
"The only memory we have in our minds is of our daughter,” said Garcia. “We can't stop thinking about her and we can't stop thinking about what happened to her."
News 12 reached out to the Riverhead Police Department several times over the last week to get information about what happened. The department has not responded.
News 12 also reached out to Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard Monday but has not heard back from him.
Editor’s note: Quotes from Solis and Garcia have been translated from Spanish.
