Noran Torbert was 1 year old when she died on Saturday, October 3, 2015, in the 6500 block of Sefton Avenue in Baltimore. Her death was caused by asphyxiation. The Baltimore Police Department investigated, and the Baltimore Sun's homicide database lists her death as a homicide, which means it was counted among the killings in the city that year rather than as an accident or a natural death.
Beyond her name, her age and the block where she was found, almost nothing about Noran Torbert has
been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death in detail. She surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who she was, but none of that has entered the public record.
Because so little has been released, even the most basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say who was caring for the little girl that day, whether she was at home or somewhere else on the block, whether she died at the scene or later at a hospital, or how investigators came to conclude that her death was a homicide. It does not say whether detectives ever identified anyone they believed was responsible, or whether anyone was questioned. For a child so young, the questions are especially painful, because she could not have protected herself or told anyone what was happening to her.
Asphyxiation means that a person was deprived of the air needed to breathe. In the death of a very young child, a homicide ruling of that kind usually reflects the findings of an autopsy and a death investigation, but none of the details behind the ruling in this case have been made public. The database records only the cause, the date, the block and her age.
Sefton Avenue is a residential street, and the database places the death in the 6500 block, a stretch of homes where neighbors may have known the family or noticed something in the days before she died.
After the unrest of 2015, Baltimore recorded more than 300 homicides a year for eight straight years, and the share of killings that ended in an arrest fell sharply. Deaths of small children can draw less public attention than street violence, and when no one is charged, they can fade from view quickly.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Noran Torbert could be found in news archives or public records. More than 11 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived on or near the 6500 block of Sefton Avenue in the fall of 2015, or who knew Noran and the people who cared for her in October 2015, may hold information that could finally explain what happened to her. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call Baltimore Police homicide detectives at 410-396-2100, or leave an anonymous tip with Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland at 1-866-7LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587).
