8yo girl dies after dare to drink boiling water

  • 05/08/2017
Ki'ari Pope was dared to drink boiling water out of a straw by her cousin.
Ki'ari Pope was dared to drink boiling water out of a straw by her cousin. Photo credit: Yolanda Johnson/GoFundMe

An eight-year-old girl has died in the United States after drinking boiling water after a dare.

Ki'ari Pope was dared to drink boiling water out of a straw by her cousin, after they had watched a YouTube video where someone had appeared to do it.

"They dared her and she said, 'Okay, I'm going to show y'all I'm not scared. I'm going to do this,'" Ki'ari's aunt, Diane Johnson, told WPEC News.

Ki'ari was severely burned and taken to hospital for emergency surgery to clear the scar tissue. The tracheotomy left her with chronic respiratory problems, which gave her breathing problems for months.

On Sunday (local time), Ki'ari told her mother's boyfriend she was struggling to breath, then fell unconscious. She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) says it is investigating Ki'ari's death, and has received multiple reports of domestic violence involving Ki'ari's family.

"We have opened a child death investigation to examine the circumstances surrounding her death and will deploy a critical incident rapid response team to review all interactions this family has had with Florida's child welfare system," DCF secretary Mike Carroll told WJXT.

"We will also continue to work closely with law enforcement to support their continued efforts."

The family are now appealing for money to pay for Ki'ari's funeral costs.

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