Medical Examiner Deemed Toddler's Death Accidental: Mom

The toddler's death was deemed accidental, her mother said she was told by the medical examiner

The Medical Examiner's Office contacted Mariah Johnson's mother on Tuesday to say that the toddler's death in a ditch next to a condemned Florida City motel was deemed accidental.

"They said that her lungs just had water in it, but she looked like a very healthy baby . No bruises. Nothing unusual. Just, she drowned because her lungs had water and that's about it you know," said Shaneka Robinson.

That finding does not sit well with Mariah's great uncle Stanley Dye.

"What we're trying to figure out in our heads and trying to get a grip on is how can you rule it an accident when all this other circumstantial evidence around it. How did she get in the hole? How did the hole get covered up? To me that spells something is wrong. There's foul play here," Dye said.

Miami-Dade homicide is continuing to investigate what happened Saturday afternoon when the toddler was reported missing then found dead down the street from her home.

The Department of Children and Families released the incident report to NBC 6. The children's names are blacked out.

The investigator writes the child was found dead on the Oct. 18. It happened on Oct. 19. That was a clerical error according to DCF.

The report goes on to say the mother's boyfriend was watching her four children outside. He took one inside and the other three took off.

"At the time he was not concerned because it was common for the kids to go directly next door to visit their uncle" wrote the investigator.

Walking around the neighborhood he spotted two of the kids playing two blocks away from home.

Mariah was not with them.

"He began walking and looking for ___ and found her in a hole , face up, partially covered up with boards..." the report said.

Robinson says she still trusts Willie Wilson to look after Mariah's siblings.

"It's just next time be more careful you know me, myself . Keep my eyes more open thats about it," said Robinson.

A metro Dade police spokesperson said they not ruling out the possibility that charges might filed.

DCF was still investigating the death. The incident report also shows there are 10 prior reports on the family, two of them were when the mother was a child and another as an adult , six when her boyfriend was a child, and one with Mariah's father.

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