In Jacksonville, Florida, the local community and authorities are grappling with an agonizing tragedy: the death of 4-year-old twin girls who were found unresponsive inside a cedar toy chest in their family home.
The incident has initiated an ongoing investigation, led by homicide Lt. Adam Blinn, who stated in an official release to TODAY.com, "We are working in collaboration with our partners at the Medical Examiner's Office to meticulously determine the cause of death. At this particular point in time, we cannot definitively say whether this heartbreaking incident was a mere accident or if foul play was involved."
A Mother's Heartbreaking Timeline
The mother of the twins, Sadie Myers, took to the social media platform Facebook to share the gut-wrenching timeline that led up to the discovery of her children.
According to Myers, on the night of August 25, she was at her workplace while her husband, Don Starr, was at home and responsible for putting their four children to bed. Myers mentioned that after returning home from her shift, she performed her usual routine of checking on all the kids, ensuring they were asleep, before having her dinner and retiring for the night.
Early the following morning, the twins made the choice to stay awake and play in their room rather than continue sleeping. In a turn of events that Myers described as characteristic of the twins' liking for "weird" sleeping spots, they decided to snuggle together inside their cedar toy chest. Tragically, at some point during their sleep, one of the twins presumably shifted, leading to the chest's lid closing.
Unbeknownst to Myers, and, she suspects, to many parents, certain wooden toy chests are designed in a way that they become airtight once closed. In addition to being airtight, these chests are also soundproof, making any cries for help inaudible.
"They never even knew it was happening. It was not accompanied by a sudden gasp for air; rather, it was an agonizingly slow transition from a peaceful sleep to passing away," Myers elaborated in her Facebook post.
The following morning, when the family noticed that the twins were missing, they initiated a frantic, desperate search throughout their home. The search ended when one of their other sons found the twins and alerted the family.
Despite immediate calls to first responders and the ensuing life-saving efforts, the twins were pronounced dead at the scene. The police are now interviewing all family members and others who were present in the house during this tragic incident to gather more information.
Community Rallies to Support the Family
According to a 2014 report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there had been at least 34 child deaths related to toy chests between the years 1996 and 2014. The CPSC's report explicitly warned about the potential hazards associated with storage chests and trunks, particularly those whose lids can latch shut automatically and older models where lid supports can fail, thereby posing risks of entrapment or strangulation.
Sadie Myers, grappling with the unimaginable pain and confusion, has since issued a plea to all parents, "If you have a toy box like this, please destroy it immediately to prevent another tragedy."
Myers and Starr are facing the unimaginable task of making sense of the tragedy while trying not to break down in front of their remaining children. To support the family in this horrific time, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up by Deanna Myers, Sadie's sister.
While the family has declined to comment further on the tragedy, the incident serves as a harrowing reminder for parents about the safety risks that even everyday household items can pose. It also raises important questions about the need for stricter safety standards and regulations for children's furniture and toys to prevent such devastating incidents in the future.
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