In May of 2015, a tragic series of events unfolded in a Detroit home, culminating in the death of 8-month-old INayah Wright-Trussell. The infant, a female who had been born prematurely and required an oxygen machine, was having difficulty breathing. Her mother, Janee Wright-Trussell, called 911 seeking emergency medical assistance for her daughter.
An ambulance was dispatched to their home on Glastonbury, with EMT Ann Marie Thomas and her partner assigned to the call.
However, instead of proceeding directly to the residence, Thomas parked the ambulance just a street away. Despite being informed by dispatch that the infant was not breathing and that her mother was performing CPR, Thomas refused to respond to the scene. In a subsequent investigation, it was revealed that Thomas had told her supervisor, 'I'm not about to be on no scene 10 minutes doing CPR, you know how these families get.' Another ambulance was eventually sent to the home, and while paramedics were able to revive INayah, she died the following morning. Her death was later ruled a homicide caused by suffocation.
The aftermath of INayah's death led to criminal charges against both her mother and the EMT who failed to render aid. In November 2016, Janee Wright-Trussell was charged in connection with her daughter's death. She ultimately pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and first-degree child abuse and was sentenced to eight to 15 years in prison.
Ann Marie Thomas, the EMT who refused to respond to the 911 call, was fired from the Detroit Fire Department following two internal investigations. She was later charged with willful neglect of duty. The case drew significant attention, highlighting a failure in the emergency response system that had devastating consequences for a young child.
