A Texas dentist has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of a 4-year-old girl who died during a routine tongue-tie procedure at her pediatric dental office.
Chrishelle Hemphill, 48, was taken into custody on Wednesday and faces a felony charge of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury. The incident occurred on April 1 at Hemphill's practice, Cuddle Kids Dental Care, in Fort Worth.
The child, Aithana Arriaga, was undergoing a frenectomy, a procedure to release a short or tight band of tissue under the tongue. Investigators stated that Hemphill administered multiple sedatives, including an oral liquid solution of Meperidine (Demerol), nitrous oxide, and two additional sedative drugs.
According to a police report, Arriaga experienced distress and difficulty breathing after the sedatives were administered. Hemphill began chest compressions, and another dentist present at the office also performed CPR until paramedics arrived. The child was transported to Harris Southwest Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The Tarrant County medical examiner ruled Arriaga's death accidental, attributing it to meperidine toxicity. The autopsy revealed 793 nanograms per milliliter of meperidine in the child's system, a level significantly higher than the normal adult range of 200 to 500 nanograms per milliliter.
Arriaga's mother, Priscilla Arriaga, told police she was not permitted in the room during the procedure and was informed her daughter would be sedated but awake. She reported that when she entered the room, her daughter's leg felt cold, and Hemphill was attempting to rouse the child with a popsicle.
Hemphill told investigators that Arriaga remained awake during the surgery and only began losing consciousness during recovery. A staff member reportedly observed a pink liquid dripping from the child's nostrils before life-saving measures were initiated. A reviewing anesthesiologist indicated this fluid is consistent with pulmonary edema caused by respiratory failure.
Records show Hemphill also administered flumazenil, a medication used to reverse benzodiazepines, though the autopsy confirmed the child did not have central nervous system depressants in her system. Hemphill has since been released from jail on bond.
Hemphill has been licensed in Texas since 2017 and opened Cuddle Kids Dental Care in April 2021. The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners is investigating the incident after Hemphill self-reported the fatal event.
A GoFundMe page was established to help the family transport Arriaga's body to Mexico for her funeral. Her mother has shared her grief on social media, describing her daughter as a joyful child.