Tanna Rae Wroblewski, a 4-month-old baby girl, died on Friday, July 5, the very day she and her family spent out on a boat in Arizona’s Lake Havasu.
According to the GoFundMe page that was created with the mother, Alyssa Wroblewski, as the beneficiary, when Tanna lost consciousness on the boat shortly after 5 pm, the parents “immediately started CPR.” First responders were called and they took Tanna to Havasu Regional Medical Center before she was airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital where healthcare professionals continued their efforts to revive her. Sadly, they did not succeed.
The GoFundMe fundraiser, which would likely cover healthcare and funeral-related expenses, raised almost 50 thousand dollars until donations were shut down. Did it meet its goal amount or did the comments of people reach this fundraiser as well as, for the most part, netizens who have come across this tragic situation and its surrounding context perceived it as avoidable at the very least, and neglectful at worst?
The reason for the backlash and investigation
Before an investigation was reported to be underway, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office was receiving comments on their social media page calling for the baby’s death to be looked into. Some speculate that the delay in announcing a probe into the incident was due to Tanna’s father, Matthew Wroblewski, being a Riverside Police detective.
The main reason netizens have been vocal about their frustration with this case is because of the reasonable belief that Tanna would not have died had her parents understood the risks of taking a 4-month-old out to a lake amid a heat wave where temperatures that afternoon reached 121 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius). Unlike adults, babies cannot properly regulate their body temperatures, thus being much more susceptible to suffering from heat and cold-related illnesses.
Redditors debated the case in a post, with most agreeing that the parents acted negligently by bringing their baby outside in such scorching temperatures.
As of yet, there has been no explanation provided by the family or the police on why a 4-month-old was out when heat warnings in Arizona in July were being issued nonstop on a daily basis.
According to The Weather Channel, the average temperature in Phoenix in July is 106 degrees. It is yet to be revealed by Alyssa and her partner decided it was a sane idea to take their mere months-old daughter out in such temperatures and keep her there for hours. Since an investigation is ongoing, anyone is yet to be formally accused of any crime.