The family of Precise Tucker, 7, said she was a known prankster. (Image courtesy of Instagram)
What was supposed to be a prank ended in tragedy after a 7-year-old Queens girl choked to death on Doritos chips.
The family of Precise Tucker said she died in her mother’s arms Friday, March 23, after having been on life support at Long Island Jewish Cohen Children’s Medical Center since Wednesday, the New York Daily News reported.
Tucker reportedly tied a bathrobe belt around her neck with the other end tied to a refrigerator to play a joke on her mom, Purity Baldwin. Tucker’s mom told her to
‘knock off the horseplay’ before stepping out of the kitchen. She was used to Tucker playing pranks but when she returned to the kitchen moments later her daughter was choking on Doritos.
Tucker’s 15-year-old brother and Baldwin worked to remove the chips from the young girl’s throat. Baldwin also administered CPR until paramedics arrived. A police source said Baldwin mentioned that Tucker often did pranks that “involved her being physically injured or appearing to be deceased.”
A neighbor, Jose Rivera, told The New York Post he saw Tucker’s dad rush in and out of the home with the couple’s baby boy. “He ran in the apartment. I saw him taking the carriage with the little one out of the apartment. I said, ‘What happened?’ He didn’t answer. He just got in his car and took off.” He added, “It’s a tragedy. That poor little girl.”
Tucker reportedly breathed on her own for a short period after the incident but was soon placed on life support. Baldwin’s sister told The Post that specialist declared Tucker brain dead. “They called in a brain specialist last night and she failed every test. He’s saying she’s brain-dead.”
The girl’s grief-stricken grandmother, who did not want to give her name, said the family hoped that Tucker would pull through.
“She wanted to see if (Precise) could come out of this,” the woman said of her daughter. “This is the daughter she always dreamed for.”
