Death of tot who died in hot vehicle ruled non-criminal
Edmonton police say the death of a three-year-old girl discovered unresponsive in a vehicle during a heat wave was non-criminal.
Investigators have determined that Tsi-Tsi Chitekedza, who died Tuesday, was not left in the vehicle by a parent or guardian.
Her mother, Grace Vela, told CBC news that the little girl had just returned from a nearby spray park and was playing outside the family's northeast Edmonton home Tuesday afternoon.
Vela doesn't know how the toddler got into the family vehicle parked in front of the home. The vehicle was not locked at the time.
The mother told CBC News she found her daughter inside, seemingly asleep, with her thumb in her mouth.
She began CPR, but the toddler was declared dead at hospital a little over an hour later.
"There are no words to describe this loss," Vela said Thursday.
"Her name means 'mercy' and she was very full of grace."
Vela described her daughter as the quietest of her three children. She also has a five-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son.
