Medics testify of efforts to revive Redmond girl, 5
The jury in the murder trial of a Redmond couple accused of starving their 5-year-old adopted daughter to death heard Tuesday from two Redmond firefighter/paramedics who were called to the family’s home and helped police in trying to keep the little girl alive.
It was the first day of testimony in the trial of Estevan Garcia and Sacora Horn-Garcia, accused in the Dec. 21, 2016 death of Maliyha Garcia. Opening statements were given last Friday.
Firefighter/Paramedic Robert Crye said they were dispatched to a sick child that day and found the little girl on the floor of the home, with police already performing CPR, which they took over. She was unresponsive, with no heartbeat, and her limbs were stiff and would not bend. Airway compressions followed, with medications given, based on age and weight.
The first responders were there for 17 minutes, he said, and saw no sign of life during that time. Cold to the touch, she was moved to an ambulance to be taken to St. Charles Redmond, where she later was pronounced dead.
Asked if anything stood out about the child, Crye said Maliyha “was very small for her age.” Asked how she appeared, compared to what he’d expect for a 5-year-old, Crye said, “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Paramedic Capt. Sean Hagen told of going to the little girl’s head to provide oxygen and establish an airway as quickly as possible. “Her hair was wet, and she was very skinny,” he said, also noting that she was very rigid and stiffer than any patient he’d seen.
Hagen said he, too, had never seen a 5-year-old that skinny, but added that they were going to do all they could to give the child a chance to survive.
