Natural death ruling for 2-year-old D.C. girl

The D.C. medical examiner's office has ruled that a 2-year-old girl who died after paramedics declined to take her to the hospital in the first of two visits to her home died from pneumonia.

Beverly Fields with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Monday that the cause of Stephanie Stephens' death was necrotizing lobar pneumonia, and her manner of death was natural.

Emergency workers were called to Stephens' home when she was having breathing problems on Feb. 10, but they did not take her to the hospital.

Paramedics were called again hours later and took her to a hospital, but she died the next day.

D.C. police launched a criminal investigation into Stephens' death last month.

-- Associated Press