On April 18, 2023, 2-year-old A'Riyan Birkett-Johnson died of positional asphyxia after his mother, Appalonia Lampkin, left him and his 1-year-old sibling unattended in a FEMA-arranged hotel room while she attended a meeting with FEMA representatives in the hotel's conference room. The mother placed the child in a car seat in front of a television to prevent him from climbing and falling, securing the shoulder straps but not the crotch buckle. She claimed to have been gone 20–30 minutes, but surveillance video showed she was absent for 46 minutes. When she returned, the child was slumped and unresponsive with spit coming from his mouth. He was transported to Arnold Palmer Hospital and pronounced dead at 3:28 p.m. The child had a pre-existing medical condition, tracheal stenosis, that caused respiratory issues. The mother tested positive for THC and alcohol, and marijuana was found in the room. She was arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, culpable negligence, and neglect of a child.
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 mother left the 2-year-old and 1-year-old "unattended" in the hotel room while she attended a FEMA meeting. DCF verified findings of "Inadequate Supervision" against the mother. The news article adds that "Lampkin left her son and his 1-year-old sister unattended on multiple occasions prior to his death" and that "the total amount of time the children were unattended that day amounted to 2 hours and 5 minutes."
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?
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?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The fatality report identifies the mother, Appalonia Lampkin, as the person who left the child unattended in a car seat, resulting in death by positional asphyxia. She was arrested and charged with Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child, Culpable Negligence, and Neglect of a Child. DCF verified findings listed her as "the caregiver responsible."
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)
The news article states: "The boy had a medical condition called tracheal stenosis, which created respiratory issues when sick or attempting to eat food." Tracheal stenosis is a physical medical condition that narrows the airway.
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)?
The fatality report states: "The family has two prior abuse reports in 2018 and 2021." It further describes the 2021 investigation: "The 2021 investigation was closed with no findings of environmental hazards and not substantiated findings of medical neglect."
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?
The fatality report states: "On May 4, 2023, Appalonia Lampkin was arrested and charged with Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child, Culpable Negligence, and Neglect of a Child (5 Counts)." The news article corroborates this, adding that a judge ordered a $100,000 bond.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
The fatality report describes the incident occurring in "their hotel room." The news article confirms: "Officials said the family lived in the hotel room as part of arrangements by the Federal Emergency Management Agency." The family was in temporary FEMA-arranged hotel housing and the mother "needed to be out of the hotel the following week."
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: "The mother consented to a drug screen and was positive for THC and alcohol." Additionally, "the room smelled heavily of marijuana and had a tray with marijuana on it." DCF verified findings included "Substance Misuse – Illicit Drugs" against the mother.
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the source texts. First, per the news article, the child "had a medical condition called tracheal stenosis, which created respiratory issues when sick or attempting to eat food," potentially increasing his vulnerability to positional asphyxia. Second, the mother stated she never secured the crotch buckle on the car seat — even while driving — because her long fingernails prevented her from pushing the button: "she never secures that part, even in the car, because it's difficult for her so she always secures the shoulder area." Third, there is a significant discrepancy in the mother's claimed timeline; the fatality report notes the sheriff "reviewed video footage that shows the mother was out of the room for 46 minutes which is far longer than she claimed to have been gone" (she claimed 20–30 minutes). The news article further states "the total amount of time the children were unattended that day amounted to 2 hours and 5 minutes" and that "Lampkin left her children in a running vehicle while she was in the hotel room" earlier that same day. Finally, within approximately one month of the child's death, a Termination of Parental Rights Petition was filed (May 22, 2023) for the surviving siblings.
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