The death of a 3-year-old Gaithersburg girl remained a mystery Monday as Montgomery County police awaited an autopsy report and her mother was under observation at a local hospital.
“Detectives are actively investigating the death, which we’re still calling undetermined,” said spokeswoman Lucille Bower, adding that police have not determined whether Jasmine Afolabi’s death was accidental or criminal, Bower said.
The hazy details surrounding Jasmine’s death Thursday started around 9:30 p.m., when police received a call about an abandoned blue Toyota Sienna van on River Road in Potomac.
About 30 minutes later, police received another call regarding a woman with two children, Jasmine and her 4-year-old brother, asking for help at a BP gas station about 5 1/2 miles from where the 38-year-old Gaithersburg mother abandoned the van near Maidens Bower Drive. The family, police later learned, had gotten a ride to the gas station.
Sheriff Ngie, a BP employee, said the mother was acting “erratically” as she moved through the store with her kids. Eventually, she used an automated teller machine, bought some gas and left on foot with the two kids, who were eating ice cream, trailing her.
At some point soon after, the three were picked up by a sport utility vehicle and driven to within 1 1/2 miles of their van, but for unknown reasons they left the SUV.
Then, around 10:50, police received another call about a woman walking down River Road with an unconscious child in her arms and a little boy following her. At 11:08, the family was dropped off at a nearby fire station, and Jasmine was pronounced dead at a local hospital soon after.
Anyone with information about the investigation should call 240-773-5070.
