4-year-old Fresno girl found dead, stuck in window security bars

Two days after 4-year-old Estefania was found not breathing, her head trapped in the security bars of a window at her home, Fresno County authorities are hoping an autopsy will shed light on her death.

A preliminary investigation suggests Estefania Duque died accidentally Sunday afternoon, but the autopsy scheduled for Tuesday is needed to “determine the actual cause of death,” the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.

Estefania wasn’t breathing when she was found about 4 p.m. Sunday with her head stuck between the metal security bars outside her bedroom window, authorities said.

Relatives told investigators she’d been left in her room alone for about 30 minutes, with adults in an adjacent room, when another family member got home and saw her head stuck between the bars.

Authorities said the girl appeared to be trying to climb out of the window, but they don’t know why.

Relatives dialed 911 while other family members frantically worked to get the girl free. They held her until paramedics arrived. Attempts to revive her failed, and Estefania was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Because of the “unusual circumstances” of the incident, detectives interviewed family members individually and collected evidence from the home.

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