The report did not resolve disputes over whether Jakelin was taken to the hospital for treatment quickly enough and whether she was given sufficient water after she and her father crossed into a remote New Mexico outpost, part of a group of more than 160 migrants. About two weeks later, Felipe Gomez Alonzo, 8, also from Guatemala, died after several days in federal custody. His death is under investigation in New Mexico, an official said.<doc-sep>CEO of ADL: Seeing a 'blitzkrieg of anti-Jewish' acts across US Dana Bash: This is so telling about where the Republican party is NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 24: Trump Tower stands on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on August 24, 2018 in New York City. Following new allegations over hush money that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid to an adult-film actress, the Manhattan district attorneyÕs office in New York City may seek criminal charges against the Trump Organization in the coming days. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Why GOP is standing in the way of Capitol riot investigation WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) remarks on the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the US Capitol November 8, 2006 in Washington, DC. Warner said he supports President George W. Bush's nomination of former CIA Director Robert Gates for Secretary of Defense. Warner said he anticipates Gates' confirmation before the end of the year. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), joined by Senate Assistant Minority Leader John Thune (R-SD) (L) and Senate Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO), speaks following a Senate Republican Policy luncheon at the Russell Senate Office Building on May 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. Hear what Matt Gaetz said about Paul Ryan before his speech Former GOP senator: If McConnell said this, 'it's shameful' 'Some people have no shame': Biden calls out GOP lawmakers with list (CNN) — An autopsy report released Friday has revealed the cause of death of the 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died after being taken into US Customs and Border Protection custody late last year. Jakelin Caal Maquin died from a bacterial infection known as streptococcal sepsis, according to the autopsy report from the medical examiner’s office in El Paso County, Texas. The report says streptococcus bacteria was found in the girl’s lungs, adrenal gland, liver and spleen. It goes on to say the infection was “rapidly progressive,” which led to “multiple organ dysfunction and death.” Jakelin died in December, two days after she and her father, Nery Gilberto Caal, 29, were detained by US Customs and Border Protection. The law offices of Lynn Coyle, who represents Jakelin’s family, released a statement saying it will continue to ask for an independent investigation of her death. “While the report sheds light on Jakelin’s cause of death, it still leaves many questions that require further review,” the statement said. “The report’s findings suggest that Jakelin’s chances of surviving would have been improved with earlier medical intervention. As we requested back in December of last year, the family seeks a thorough independent investigation of this matter to learn why medical intervention was delayed.” The autopsy does not indicate how or when Jakelin caught the infection. CNN reached out to the CBP for comment, and was given a news release about the young girl’s death from December that said CBP agents and emergency responders “did everything in their power” to treat Jakelin, including Border Patrol agents twice reviving the girl before she was taken by air ambulance to a hospital. “The agents involved are deeply affected and empathize with the father over the loss of his daughter,” the release read. One death, two conflicting stories Jakelin’s family says she fled the country with her father in search of a better life. She survived the 2,000-mile journey from northern Guatemala before being detained. 02:22 - Source: CNN Young girl dies in US Border Patrol custody The family’s attorneys said Caal and his daughter were seeking asylum in the United States. Jakelin’s father has requested a credible fear interview – the first step in seeking asylum, Coyle said. According to CBP, Jakelin and her father crossed the border illegally about half a mile west of the Antelope Wells port of entry in New Mexico. They were detained along with 163 other migrants on December 6. The family’s attorneys say Jakelin and her father were not given water during the roughly eight hours they were detained at Antelope Wells waiting to be taken to a Border Patrol station. However, CBP says migrants “had access to food, water and restrooms” while they were detained and awaiting transfer. CBP says an initial health screening on Jakelin “revealed no evidence of health issues,” and that her father reported she was “in good health,” the agency said in a statement. The agency said Jakelin’s father first reported the girl’s illness and vomiting when they were already on the bus, but before the bus left. But attorneys for the family say they sought relief from the first Border Patrol agents they encountered near Antelope Wells. Attorney Enrique Moreno said Jakelin’s father reported that she was sick and vomiting. ORLANDO ESTRADA/AFP/Getty Images The remains of Jakelin Caal Maquin were transported to Guatemala. During the 90-minute bus ride from Antelope Wells to the Lordsburg Border Patrol station, her health deteriorated. CBP said Jakelin was revived twice when emergency responders tended to her at the Lordsburg station. Her temperature at the time, the agency said, was 105.7 degrees. She was flown to the Providence Children’s Hospital in El Paso and died the next day. Jakelin’s body was repatriated to Guatemala in December after being transported by plane from Laredo, Texas. Her remains were transported to the indigenous community of Raxruha, where she was from. CNN’s Hollie Silverman, Emanuella Grinberg and Michelle Mendoza contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
A 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection succumbed to "a rapidly progressive infection" that shut down her vital organs, the medical examiner of El Paso County, Texas, concluded in an opinion released Friday. The death of Jakelin Caal Maquin was one of two child fatalities at federal immigration facilities in December. Her family said Caal was well fed and in good health when she arrived with her father at the border in the New Mexico desert Dec. 6 with a group of 163 migrants. The autopsy report and concluding opinion signed by the county's chief medical examiner, Mario A. Rascon, blamed the girl's death on "a rapidly progressive infection, with prompt systemic bacterial spread and substantial clinical deterioration ... resulting in multiple organ dysfunction and death." The report says medical examiners failed to determine the bacteria beyond general streptococcus. The official cause of death was natural by way of sequelae of streptococcal sepsis. Medical doctor and U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-California, said her rapidly deteriorating condition should have been obvious to immigration officers. "She would have looked really bad," he said. “If there was any meaningful health evaluation, including the basics like vital signs, then they would have identified most likely a sick-looking child with abnormal vital signs," Ruiz said. "Then they would have consulted or should have consulted with a medical professional and gotten her the care that could have saved her life." Ruiz co-authored legislation introduced in February that would set "minimum humanitarian standards" for migrants who are in the custody of the CBP. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement released in mid-December that it was believed Caal died from "sepsis shock" but made clear that immigration officials who came into contact with Caal after she entered the country saw "no evidence of health issues." While in custody Caal developed a fever of 105.9 degrees, was transferred to a hospital, and died early on Dec. 8. Enrique Moreno, a lawyer for Caal's family, has called for an "objective, thorough and independent investigation" into her death. In late December the CBP announced that all children in its custody would undergo secondary medical checks.