Ngone Talla, 7, died from positional asphyxiation after school bus staff failed to secure her wheelchair restraints properly, according to emails from the Cincinnati Public Schools superintendent.
The nonverbal student with developmental disabilities was found lifeless in her wheelchair when the bus finally reached her home on the afternoon of Sept. 16. Her family had grown alarmed after noticing the vehicle sitting idle outside for roughly 10 minutes, an unusual delay that prompted them to investigate. They discovered the girl unresponsive and rushed her to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Superintendent Shauna Murphy wrote to the school board hours after the tragedy with a stark assessment based on a conversation with First Student CEO John Keening. “I spoke with Mr. John Keening from First Student. He shared the driver and monitor on Ngone’s bus did not strap her on appropriately, causing her death,” Murphy wrote in the email, which was later obtained by reporters. The bus company confirmed that conversation took place the night of Ngone’s death but immediately challenged Murphy’s characterization.
“At that point, no investigation had taken place, and many facts were still unknown,” First Student said in a statement. “The characterization of the conversation does not reflect the circumstances surrounding the incident or the findings subsequently outlined in the coroner’s report.”
The Hamilton County Coroner’s office ruled Ngone’s death accidental. An autopsy determined positional asphyxiation as the cause, noting a “delay in care” as a contributing factor. The report detailed how a five-point seatbelt system — two shoulder straps, two lap or waist straps, and one between-the-legs strap — became fatal rather than protective. “During movement of the extremities, the buttocks slipped off the wheelchair seat with the torso turned to the right,” the autopsy stated. “[The] right neck and chin [was] compressed by [the] seatbelt/restraint system.”
Cincinnati Public Schools struck a cautious tone when addressing the matter publicly. “It is critically important that a thorough review take place so that we have a clear and accurate understanding of the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident,” the district said in a Friday statement. “We owe that to the family, our students, and the community. The Board will not rush to judgment or make determinations before that process is complete.”
The split between the superintendent’s private email and the district’s public posture — and between Murphy’s account and First Student’s rebuttal — leaves key questions unresolved as investigations continue.
The case has drawn renewed attention to the lethal risks of improper restraint practices for students with disabilities in school transportation settings.