A Fort Worth dentist is behind bars, accused of administering a lethal dose of sedatives that killed a 4-year-old girl during a routine dental procedure, authorities said.
Dr. Chrishelle Hemphill, 48, was arrested Wednesday outside her dental office, according to newly released arrest records. She faces a felony charge of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury.
Investigators say Hemphill gave 4-year-old Aithana Arriaga an oral liquid solution of meperidine , also known as Demerol , along with two additional sedatives and nitrous oxide.
The April 1 appointment began as a routine tongue-tie procedure at Cuddle Kids Dental Care, the Sycamore School Road clinic owned by Hemphill, according to the arrest warrant. Aithana was given multiple sedatives before she went into distress, investigators said.
Investigators say 4-year-old Aithana Arriaga, left, was given multiple sedatives by Dr. Chrishelle Hemphill, right, before she went into distress.
Detectives say Hemphill was the only one who administered the drugs to Arriaga.
Hemphill began chest compressions when the child became unresponsive, investigators said. A second dentist, who had been on lunch break, stepped in and continued CPR until medics arrived.
The medical examiner told investigators that “the amount of meperidine found in Arriaga’s system would have been high for an adult and that the medication was given to her twice (doubledosed).”
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner ruled Arriaga’s death as meperidine toxicity.
Doctors told investigators a normal adult range for meperidine is 200 to 500 nanograms per milliliter, according to the warrant. Testing showed Arriaga’s level was 793 nanograms per milliliter.
Arriaga’s parents did not speak on camera. On a GoFundMe page, they described their daughter as “filled with life and kindness,” saying her presence “always lit up a room and brought so much joy to everyone around her.”
Hemphill has been licensed as a dentist in Texas since 2017. The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners has been asked whether it has opened an investigation and whether Hemphill has any prior disciplinary history.