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A 4-year-old girl was discovered hanging and unresponsive in the back of a closet at her family's Westchester apartment Thursday. Upon calling 911, family members followed the operator's instructions to perform CPR until the paramedics arrived. The child, however, was unable to be resuscitated.
Witnesses say "they heard the family screaming for help," reports ABC7. Neighboring tenants at the Madrid Apartments say the girl, an only child, could often be seen playing in the complex.
The girl was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Authorities believe she may have been playing without supervision and wound up inadvertently choking herself in the closet.
"Police officials said they do not believe that foul play was involved, and that the child's death appears to have been a tragic accident," according to KTLA.
A neighbor also describes the girl's death as "an accidental hanging."
An autopsy is scheduled for today to determine the exact cause of death. Per procedure, the Los Angeles Police Department's Abused Child Unit is investigating the case; their involvement is mandatory in any case of unexpected death of a child under age 11.
