JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A child was pronounced dead at a local hospital and police say her cause of death is "undetermined" after she was found unresponsive by officers when they arrived Sunday night, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
No arrests have been made as of Monday evening.
JSO's Sergeant Highfill says at approximately 11 p.m., officers responded to the 900 block of Allison Street on Jacksonville's Westside in reference to the unresponsive child.
When officers arrived, they found the child, who's between the ages of five and 10 years old, in her bed, Highfill says; both parents were home at the time.
The child was taken to the hospital by first responders with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, police say, and she was pronounced dead by hospital staff.
Highfill says homicide and crime scene detectives are conducting an investigation.
Investigators say it is unknown whether foul play is involved in the child's death. The child's cause of death will be determined pending the results of the Medical Examiner's autopsy, according to JSO.
First Coast News Crime and Safety Expert Mark Baughman says investigators will look at whether police have been called to the home before.
“There may be nothing wrong with the child’s body visibly, that they can tell," Baughman said. "They need to rule out things like was the child suffering from an illness that could have caused this? They obviously look for any forms of abuse, any controlled substances in the house that the child may have had access to.”
First Coast News spoke with Patricia Johnson, who lives nearby, and gave her condolences.
“You just be in so much pain and trauma," she said about the death of a child. "A lot of times you just can’t comprehend and things not as clear. But I believe out of all bad things, it’s something good gonna come out of it. That’s just what I hold on to.”
Anyone with information on the child's death is encouraged to call JSO's non-emergency number at 904-630-0500 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.