4-year-old Hawaii girl dies after being 'accidentally' stabbed through the neck by older brother while cooking breakfast
BIG ISLAND, HAWAII: A young girl died after she was accidentally stabbed through the neck by her older brother while they were cooking together in the kitchen.
Kayla-Marie Kehaulani Mainaaupo, 4, was with her 14-year-old brother and another unidentified boy in the kitchen of their Hawaiian beach home on Wednesday, November 27, when the horrifying incident unfolded, according to Hawaii News Now.
Police said the boys were cooking breakfast when the 14-year-old accidentally stabbed his sister. They alerted a neighbor, who desperately tried to save the girl by performing CPR until emergency personnel arrived, but her injuries proved fatal.
She was rushed to Hilo Medical Center, where she was declared dead.
The children's parents, Ashley and Joey Mainaaupo, were both at work at the time of the unfortunate incident.
While the medical examiner's office ruled her death as accidental, police said they had deemed the investigation as a "manslaughter." However, they did insist that it was "very preliminary."
The brother was taken into custody this past Wednesday, December 18, for questioning. He was later released into the custody of child protective services, and police said he has since been reunited with his family. No charges have been filed against either the teen or his parents.
Detectives who were investigating the case will reportedly still conduct a search of the family's Limu and Kumu Streets property to recover evidence and photograph the scene.
A GoFundMe page set up to raise money to cover the costs of Kayla-Marie's funeral read, "On Wednesday, November 27th, 2019 our family experienced the loss of our little 4-year-old Kayla Marie. We are asking for help to cover the cost of her memorial service and also to help her family get through the holidays."
It has already surpassed its $5,000 goal and raised $6,400 at the time of writing.