Nationwide — Ngone Talla, a 7-year-old African American girl from Cincinnati, Ohio, died after she was found unresponsive in her wheelchair on a school bus Wednesday, prompting a police investigation and leaving her family with questions about what happened during her ride home. Talla, who had special needs and attended Roselawn Condon School, was discovered after the bus arrived outside her family’s home.
Her family said the bus remained outside the house for about 10 to 15 minutes. They usually watched for the back doors to open so the ramp could be lowered and Talla could be taken off the bus in her wheelchair. When the doors did not open, family members went outside to check what was happening. They were then told that the child was not responding.
Talla’s 12-year-old sister, Marema, often helped their mother bring her off the school bus after school. She said she went onto the bus Wednesday and saw her younger sister unresponsive. “We went on the bus, and I see my sister unresponsive and lifeless. So, I’m there, I’m mad. I’m yelling in the bus. I’m like, okay, how did this happen?” she told WLWT. Her father, Abdoul Talla, said he received a call that afternoon saying his daughter was not breathing. He told the family to call 911 while he drove home, and emergency responders took the child to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office said there were no traumatic injuries or signs of harm connected to the death. Officials noted that Talla became unresponsive while seated in her wheelchair and had an extensive medical history that included cerebral palsy. The exact cause of death has not been publicly determined, and police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.
The bus was operated by First Student, which confirmed that a student had died on one of its buses. The company said it was deeply saddened and expressed sympathy for Talla’s family, classmates and school community. Because the investigation remains active, the company said it could not provide additional details. Her father said he is waiting for investigators to determine what happened, particularly because the weather was hot that day and the family expected the adults on the bus to monitor the children.
Cincinnati Public Schools said its Crisis Response Unit was at the school to support students and employees following her death. The school community is now mourning the 7-year-old, while her family awaits more information from the ongoing investigation into what happened before she was found unresponsive on the bus.