5-year-old Colorado girl dies after being strangled by swing set in backyard: Police

A Colorado girl has tragically died from injuries she sustained after being strangled by a swing set in her backyard last week, authorities say.

5-year-old Aurora Masters was playing on her swing set in Fort Collins, which is located about 63 miles north of Denver, when the ordinary fun took a tragic turn, FOX 31 reported.

The City of Fort Collins Police Department says officers arrived on the scene and administered medical treatment to the child until Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived on the scene, police said.

The child was then transported to a local hospital where she was treated until she died on May 11.

The police department told USA TODAY that they are not investigating the child's death further because there was no probable cause of any criminal behavior and have ruled the incident a tragic accident.

USA TODAY reached out to the Larimer County Coroner’s Office for the girl's official cause of death but have not heard back.

“She pulled her little plastic slide over to where her swing was,” Brenda Kennedy, the child's great-aunt and organizer of a GoFundMe created for the 5-year-old, told FOX31, “And somehow got caught up in the swing, and the swing strangled her.”

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Great-aunt remembers Aurora as a 'ray of sunshine'

Kennedy gave updates on her grandniece's condition on the GoFundMe account and asked the public for prayers. In her most recent message, Kennedy called the 5-year-old a “ray of sunshine.”

“Our family continues to feel your love and support as we move into the next phase,” Kennedy said. “Our sweet Aurora Rae (Ray of sunshine as many of you have told us) is continuing evaluations to maximize her ability to donate her organs and tissues.”

The GoFundMe states that the family will use the funds raised to go toward Masters' memorial and funeral services and the remainder with go towards organizations that honor Masters’ memory. At the time of publication, the GoFundMe account dedicated to the child raised $25,000 of their $30,000 goal.

“Thank you for all your love expressions to our family,” Kennedy wrote. “You are sustaining our hearts!”

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.