An 18-month-old toddler died over the weekend while undergoing a home treatment for head lice, Massachusetts police said on Thursday.
The girl suffocated to death allegedly because of a home remedy for head lice which involved mayonnaise and a plastic bag, the Associate Press reported. The incident is being investigated by the state Department of Children and Families, a Springfield police department spokesman said.
"This is a very sad incident," said Sgt. John Delaney.
In an attempt to treat head lice, the child's scalp had been smeared with mayonnaise and a plastic shopping bag had then been placed over her head, known to be a common home remedy.
On Friday night, the child was left unattended and apparently fell asleep, allowing the bag to slip down over her face and suffocate her to death, according to the family's account.
At about 3 p.m. on Saturday, police in Springfield responded to the 18-month-old girl's city home in central Massachusetts, about 90 miles west of Boston, after receiving a 911 call that a child was not breathing, Delaney said.
Once there, officers found an adult administering CPR to the child, but medical personnel determined that the young girl had been dead for some time, according to Reuters.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Health, since not much information exists on whether home lice treatments involving fats are effective, the department recommends using prescription and non-prescription medical shampoos.
Meanwhile, although the matter remains under investigation by local and state officials, no charges have been filed yet.
