LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) - The family of a 13-year-old Amesbury girl who died after being dropped off at Lawrence General Hospital on Monday is demanding answers as authorities continue to investigate her death.
The girl was pronounced dead after a man dropped her off at the hospital’s emergency room just before 5 p.m., law enforcement sources told 7’s Steve Cooper. She had gone into cardiac arrest, according to sources.
That man has since been located but no arrests have been made in connection with her death.
The girl ran away from her home on Sunday night but family members say her friends told them that she was doing OK.
Her stepfather, Brian Dolan, says his heart broke when he was called to the hospital to identify his stepdaughter.
“It had to be one of the hardest things that I had to do in my life,” Dolan said as he fought back tears. “I’m beside myself. This shouldn’t have happened. This kid was 13 years old.”
The girl’s death is being investigated by the Essex District Attorney’s Office, the Lawrence Police Department, and the Essex State Police Detective Unit.
Officials have not released her cause and manner of death. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is performing an autopsy on Tuesday.
The individual who dropped off the girl alerted hospital staff that she was in need of help before driving off, according to the DA’s office.
“If it was your kid, what would you do?” a frustrated Dolan asked. “If it was your mother, your daughter, your son, your brother, or any one of them. What would you do?”
An investigation is ongoing.
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