Family seeks answers as deputies investigate sudden death of a 4-year-old boy in Lehigh Acres

A Lehigh Acres family is mourning the sudden death of 4-year-old Marquis, who passed away on Aug. 27. "We went to his therapy, we went shopping, came back, lay down to take a nap, and he just didn't wake up," said Vanessa Hickson, Marquis' grandmother. Lee County deputies are investigating the circumstances surrounding Marquis' death. Hickson shared the emotional impact of losing her grandson. "Nobody expects to lose a child. You see these life insurance ads on TV. That's not going to touch you, what do you need that for? Until it hits you. For yourself," she said. "Unprepared financially, emotionally, mentally." Marquis' family called 911 when he stopped breathing, and he was pronounced dead 45 minutes later at the hospital. Danielle Crawford, Marquis' aunt, described him as a lively and energetic child. "He was as strong as an ox. For a 4-year-old, he'd run, play and did everything as a 4-year-old should," Crawford said. Health professionals provided insight into potential causes of sudden death in children, though the exact cause of Marquis' death is not known. "There are a few things that could happen with children. One of them specifically would be obstructive sleep apnea, where the soft tissues of the throat kind of close," said Dr. Susan Hook of Samaritan Health. "Until they do a postmortem or an autopsy on a child, they really wouldn't know. Even sometimes after the death of a child, even if they do an autopsy, they may still not know the cause of death." Marquis' family said he had no other medical conditions and only had nonverbal autism. "It's very unusual for a child without a congenital heart defect to have a cardiac arrest first. Children usually have a respiratory arrest where their breathing stops. If they don't get the breathing going, the heart will eventually stop. Whereas in adults, an adult can have a heart attack," Hook said. As deputies continue their investigation, Marquis' family is preparing for his funeral and a candlelight vigil this weekend. The vigil is expected to take place at Veterans Park in Lehigh Acres, Sept. 6 at 5 p.m. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.