A Cincinnati father is demanding answers after his 7-year-old daughter with special needs was found dead in her wheelchair on a school bus.
Abdoul Talla received a call Wednesday afternoon that his daughter Ngone, who had cerebral palsy, was not breathing or moving on the bus that was supposed to bring her home from Roselawn Condon School. He rushed to the scene and called 911 himself after learning the devastating news.
“The bus driver came outside and he told them like, ‘Oh, come look.’ And they went inside the bus, and they see she was not breathing, she was not moving. And after that, that’s why they call me, and I say call 911, and I call 911, me myself,” Abdoul Talla said.
“And I drive up here and I see my daughter inside the bus and I was like ‘it’s over,'” the heartbroken dad added.
Ngone’s 12-year-old sister Marema Talla was among the family members who discovered the horrific scene after noticing the bus sitting idle outside their home for about 10 minutes — an unusual delay, since the back doors typically opened immediately to let Ngone’s wheelchair out.
“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, OK, how did this happen?” Marema Talla told WLWT5.
The Hamilton County Coroner’s office confirmed Ngone suffered no traumatic injuries or visible signs of harm. She was transported to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
“She became unresponsive in her wheelchair on the bus, but she has extensive medical history including cerebral palsy,” the coroner’s office said in a statement.
Sources told local outlet WXIX that the first-grader may have gotten stuck in a seatbelt in the possible freak mishap aboard the Ohio school bus. The exact circumstances remain under investigation by multiple agencies including the Cincinnati Police Department.
Cincinnati Public Schools acknowledged the tragedy in a statement to local outlets, noting their Crisis Response Unit was mobilized to support students and staff.
“Our hearts are with her family and everyone who knew and loved her. This is an unimaginable loss for them and a heartbreaking day for the Roselawn Condon community,” the district said.
The bus was operated by First Student, a private transportation company, and carried both a driver and a bus monitor from that firm, according to Cincinnati Public Schools. Abdoul Talla directed his anger at both adults who were present, questioning how they could have failed to notice his daughter’s distress.
“The driver and a second person, they’re supposed to just watch carefully, the kids, because you cannot have these kids in this bus and you’re not watching them,” he said.
He also raised concerns about conditions aboard the vehicle. “And it was really hot yesterday, and I don’t know what’s going on. I’m waiting for the investigation to let us know what’s happened.”
The case has drawn scrutiny to the protocols for transporting students with disabilities, particularly during warm weather when temperatures inside vehicles can rise quickly. Ngone’s cerebral palsy would have limited her ability to communicate distress or free herself from any entanglement.
The Cincinnati Police Department and Hamilton County Coroner are continuing to investigate the exact cause of Ngone Talla’s death, with no criminal charges announced as of Thursday.