Name: A’riyan Birkett Johnson.
Died: April 18, 2023.
Age at death: 2.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Orange County, California, USA.
Disability: A developmental condition affecting his trachea.
Details:
A’riyan was born with a condition that left him at high risk of developing breathing problems. His doctor told his mother that he should never, ever be left alone. His mother had also been ticketed and made to take car-seat safety courses for leaving A’riyan improperly secured in his car seat with only the shoulder straps buckled, telling investigators that she believed car seats were a scam and the waist and crotch straps were hard to buckle with long acrylic fingernails.
On the day of his death, A’riyan’s mother left him alone in her car, and then alone in her hotel room; when she returned to the hotel room, she found him dead. He was buckled into the seat, but only the shoulder straps were buckled; A’riyan had slid down, his head falling forward, and suffocated.
A’riyan was a friendly, curious, happy child. He loved playing with people’s hair, watching Coco Melon, eating vanilla wafers, and dancing to music.
Case Status:
Appalonia B. Lampkin (Mother), charged with manslaughter and neglect.
Sources:
Orange County mother facing neglect, manslaughter charges in connection to son’s death
Obituary for A’riyan Birkett Johnson at Sarah’s Memorial Chapel
Name: Shana McClain.
Name: Carol Clark.