Howard County officials say the death last week of a young girl in a hope chest was an unfortunate accident. The incident happened around noon Thursday in Lime Springs. Two-year-old Shelby Burke was put down for her nap by her aunt. When Shelby’s mother went to check on her two hours later, the girl was not in her bed.
The two women searched the house for Shelby and finally found her inside a hope chest. The young girl apparently crawled into the chest, and the lid then closed and latched, and she was not able to open it. Authorities say Shelby died of accidental suffocation, however an autopsy was performed to determine the exact cause of death.