Family and friends of the 7-year-old Cincinnati Public School student who died on Sept. 16 on a school bus honored the girl's life in a funeral service on Sept. 21, as questions remain about what caused her death.
Ngone Talla was a second-grader at Roselawn Condon School. Ngone, who reportedly lived with cerebral palsy
and used a wheelchair, died after her family found her unresponsive on a school bus, sources told The Enquirer.Ngone's Roselawn teacher, Lauren Borcherding, class aide, Marlene Tucker, friends, family and fellow members of the Senegalese community were among those who attended her funeral. Services consisting of prayers led by imam Mortala Diop were hosted at a Norwood mosque affiliated with Foundation Khadimou Rassoul.
Ngone will
be buried at Crown Hill Memorial Park and Mausoleum.
Last week, after being transported by school bus to her family's home in Northside, Ngone's mother and siblings found her "not breathing" aboard the bus, according to Cheikh Ndiaye, the owner of a Northside restaurant where Ngone's mom works.
She was then taken to Cincinnati Children's, where she was pronounced died.
CPS and First Student, the contractor of the school bus used by CPS, released statements Sept. 17 regarding the incident. Officials with multiple agencies, including the Cincinnati Police Department, said Ngone's death is under investigation.
Ngone’s aunt, Adama Samba, told The Enquirer on Sept. 18 that Ngone was a joyful child who had “a future and goals."
“She was a beautiful girl,” Samba said. “She was well taken care of.”
Student's family found her unresponsive on school bus
A statement from First Student released Sept. 17 said a student died on one of its buses.
Sources close to the family later told The Enquirer that the bus transported Ngone to the family's home in Northside from Roselawn as it does every school day. The family's home is located on the 4200 block of Colerain Avenue, about 8 miles away from the CPS school.
There, she was found unresponsive by her mother and sisters, Ndiaye told The Enquirer. Ngone's mother called her father Abdoula Talla, who was not present, who then called emergency services, Ndiaye said.
Ngone was then taken to Cincinnati Children's, where she was pronounced dead, the Hamilton County Coroner's Office told The Enquirer.
Have officials confirmed a cause of death?
It is not yet clear what caused Ngone's death. Her sister Marema told WCPO that she found her little sister motionless in her wheelchair abord the school bus.
"She was just laying there with her head up like that, and her lips were dry, and her lips were like cut and bleeding," Marema told WCPO on Sept. 17. "I checked her pulse, and she wasn't breathing."
A formal cause of death has not yet been determined. Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco told Enquirer media partner Fox19 that Ngone's death appears to be natural, but is looking into it.
The coroner's office told The Enquirer on Sept. 17 the incident doesn't appear to be a homicide or suicide.
Cincinnati Public Schools said there was a driver and a "monitor" aboard the bus that day, but the district did not know the monitor's official title or whether they were filling in as a substitute, referring The Enquirer to First Student since they are the contractor's employees.
The district previously said it is unaware if there is any video footage of the incident, saying that if there were video, it would be in the hands of First Student.
The story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Teachers, family of student who died on school bus attend funeral
