At approximately 10:55 on the night of Monday, March 22, 1999, two-year-old Fredashia L. Sykes, of the 500 block of 17th Street, NE, was brought by her mother to D.C. General's Emergency Room. Fredashia was unresponsive and in respiratory distress. She was admitted in critical condition. On Tuesday, March 23rd, she was medically transferred by ambulance to Children's National Medical Center. She remained there in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit until she expired at 12:45 a.m. on Wednesday, March 24th. Her remains were then transferred to the D.C. Medical Examiner's Office.

On Wednesday, April 21st, the D.C. Medical Examiner's Office issued the findings of the autopsy. The cause Fredashia Sykes' death was Blunt Impact Head Trauma and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

The investigation into the death is being conducted by detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department.

*UPDATE: Today at 12:55 pm, a 12-year-old male who resides in southeast Washington, DC was taken into custody by homicide detectives pursuant to a custody order (an arrest warrent for a juvenile defendant). The 12-year-old, whose identity is being withheld because he is a juvenile, has been charged with second degree murder in connection with the death of Fredashia Sykes. He is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow in DC.