Three children, ages 1, 4 and 6, were found dead after they were trapped inside of a freezer that was sitting in their yard in Suwannee County on Sunday.
The Suwannee County Sheriff's Office was called out to a home on 173rd Place. When deputies arrived, they found family members performing CPR on the children.
The children were found not breathing and they were transported to the hospital. Medical staff tried to resuscitate them, but their efforts were unsuccessful. All three children died.
During their investigation, deputies discovered that the children, for an unknown reason, climbed inside of a chest freezer while the woman who was supervising them went inside to use the bathroom.
When she returned, she couldn't find the children. She and another woman searched for them.
One woman opened the freezer and discovered the children were inside and weren't breathing, deputies said. They tried to resuscitate them and called 911.
Investigators found that the freezer had a hasp that had been installed on the lid in order to secure a padlock on it. They believe once the lid closed, the hasp fell shut and trapped the kids inside, deputies said. There wasn't a padlock on the freezer. The freezer was also unplugged.
Foul play is not suspected.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Department of Children and Families are involved in the investigation.