Ngone Talla was found unresponsive after her ride home, while police and the coroner continue investigating what happened.
CINCINNATI, Ohio — Questions remain about what happened aboard a school bus before 7-year-old Ngone Talla was found unresponsive in her wheelchair after arriving home from school Sept. 16 and was later pronounced dead at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Talla, a Cincinnati Public Schools student at Roselawn Condon School, was nonverbal, used a wheelchair and had developmental disabilities, according to her family. The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office has not announced a final cause of death. Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco has said the death appears natural and that Talla had a medical history that included cerebral palsy. Cincinnati police are conducting a death investigation, and authorities have not announced charges or said they suspect criminal wrongdoing.
Talla’s family said the bus reached their Northside home shortly before 5 p.m. but remained outside for about 10 to 15 minutes before relatives were asked to come aboard. Her sister, Marema Talla, said she found the girl motionless in her wheelchair and checked for a pulse. The family has questioned when the adults aboard the bus first realized something was wrong and why emergency help was not called earlier.
Talla’s father, Abdoula Talla, said he called 911 at about 5:03 p.m. after learning his daughter was unresponsive. Emergency dispatch recordings reviewed by WCPO showed crews were sent to the family’s Colerain Avenue address at 5:05 p.m. for a child in possible cardiac arrest. Cincinnati police later said officers responded to the 4200 block of Colerain Avenue for a death investigation. Talla was taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office said she was pronounced dead.
The coroner’s office has said Talla had no traumatic injuries associated with her death. Sammarco has described the death as appearing natural while the medical review continues. FOX19, citing unidentified sources, reported that Talla became stuck in a seatbelt while aboard the bus. Authorities have not publicly concluded that a seatbelt caused or contributed to her death, however, and a formal cause of death remains undetermined. The coroner’s office also told The Cincinnati Enquirer that the case did not appear to involve homicide or suicide.
Cincinnati Public Schools said a driver and a bus monitor were aboard the vehicle. The monitor worked for First Student, the private transportation company operating the bus. Talla’s father told WCPO that the assistant riding the bus that day was not the person his family normally saw. The school district had not confirmed whether the employee was a substitute or what specific monitoring responsibilities were required for Talla. Officials also had not publicly said when either adult first noticed that she was unresponsive.
Questions about the support Talla required during transportation may depend in part on her Individualized Education Program, commonly called an IEP. Carla Leader, an Ohio attorney who works in special education law and is not involved in the case, told WCPO that transportation services and needed assistance can be included in a student’s IEP. She cautioned that the presence of a wheelchair or disability alone does not mean a student requires one-on-one assistance. Talla’s specific transportation requirements, the training given to bus personnel and whether her IEP required an aide have not been publicly disclosed.
Cincinnati Public Schools said it was grieving Talla’s death and sent its Crisis Response Unit to Roselawn Condon School to support students and employees. First Student said it was cooperating with Cincinnati police and the school district and would not provide further details while the investigation remained active. The company operates student transportation services for the district. Neither the district nor First Student has publicly announced disciplinary findings related to the incident.
Talla’s relatives have described her as a happy child who appeared well when she left for school that morning. Her aunt, Adama Samba, told The Cincinnati Enquirer that Talla was a “beautiful girl” who was well cared for. Members of Cincinnati’s Senegalese community gathered with the family after her death. Her relatives have said their main concern is determining what happened between the time she left school and the time the bus reached her home.
As of Sept. 19, the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office had not publicly released a final cause or manner of death, and Cincinnati police continued their investigation. Authorities also had not announced findings about the actions of the driver or monitor or whether the reported seatbelt issue played any role in Talla’s death.
Author note: Last updated September 19, 2026.