On June 8, 2022, 5-year-old Amarylliz Medina-Rivera died along with her father Anthony Medina (the driver), her mother Emeleidy Rivera, and family friend Cristobal Lozada-Flores in a single-vehicle crash in Lake County, Florida. The father was traveling southbound on CR-561 when, for unknown reasons, the car left the roadway onto the east grassy shoulder and struck a large tree, causing the rear of the vehicle to become airborne. None of the occupants were properly restrained: the three adults had locked their seatbelts in place to silence the warning chime and were sitting on top of them, and the child was not in her car seat, which was found on the floor between the driver's seat and the second row. The cause of death was blunt head trauma, ruled an accident. The DCF investigation closed with verified findings of Death, Inadequate Supervision, and Substance Misuse – Illicit Drugs against the father. No charges were filed as all occupants were deceased.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
The fatality report states the DCF investigation closed with "Verified Findings of Death, Inadequate Supervision, and Substance Misuse – Illicit Drugs as to Amarylliz Medina-Rivera, with Anthony Medina as the caregiver responsible." The child was not properly restrained: "The child was not in a car seat as it was found on the floor in between the driver's seat and the second row."
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
The fatality report explicitly describes a motor vehicle crash: "the 5-year-old passed away, along with her parents and an adult family friend, after being involved in a car accident while not being properly restrained." It further details that "the father was traveling southbound on CR-561 on a right-hand curve. For unknown reasons the car traveled onto the east grassy shoulder and collided with a large tree on the east shoulder."
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
The fatality report identifies Anthony Medina as the father and states he was the driver of the vehicle. The investigation closed with verified findings of "Death, Inadequate Supervision, and Substance Misuse – Illicit Drugs as to Amarylliz Medina-Rivera, with Anthony Medina as the caregiver responsible." He was directly responsible for the crash and the child's lack of proper restraint.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The fatality report identifies Emeleidy Rivera as the child's mother and confirms she was present in the vehicle at the time of the crash. As a parent present in the car, she shared responsibility for ensuring the child was properly restrained in her car seat. However, the DCF investigation only verified findings against the father, Anthony Medina, as the caregiver responsible. The mother's involvement is implied through her presence and parental duty but not explicitly named in the findings.
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report states that the DCF investigation closed with verified findings including "Substance Misuse – Illicit Drugs as to Amarylliz Medina-Rivera, with Anthony Medina as the caregiver responsible." This explicitly references substance use by the parent/caregiver.
Notable Details
The fatality report contains several notable details not addressed by other questions. First, the adults deliberately circumvented their seatbelts: "The adults' seatbelts were found to be locked in place to stop the beeping prompt and the individuals were sitting on top of them." This demonstrates intentional avoidance of safety restraints. Second, the child's car seat was present in the vehicle but not in use: "The child was not in a car seat as it was found on the floor in between the driver's seat and the second row." Third, there was an approximately 3.5-hour delay between the crash and notification of authorities — the accident occurred at approximately 12:09 a.m. but FHP was not notified until 3:35 a.m. Fourth, the toxicology section states "The Toxicology Reports for all the individuals shows the following" but only provides the child's results (negative), while the verified findings include Substance Misuse – Illicit Drugs against the father, suggesting the adults tested positive for substances but their specific results were omitted from this summary.
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