STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Prosecutors Claim Raniya Wright, 10, Died Of Natural Causes After A Classroom Fight

Her parents say she was bullied.

Raniya Wright, the 10-year-old girl who passed away hours after she got into a fight at school, reportedly died of natural causes, according to officials.

Wright passed in a Charleston, South Carolina hospital on March 27 two days after collapsing following an altercation she had with another fifth-grade student at Forest Hills Elementary in Walterboro. Her mother, Ashley Wright, later revealed on Facebook that her daughter had been previously bullied by the student she fought. That student has reportedly returned to school following a brief suspension.

Now, Duffle Stone, the solicitor for South Carolina’s 14th Judicial Circuit, is telling the media that Raniya died of a previously undetected congenital condition known as arteriovenous malformation, or AVM. The condition is not typically diagnosed until adulthood and is the tangling of arteries and veins. The condition can lead to a rupture in the brain, which can cause hemorrhaging and lead to death. Stone says Raniya had been complaining of headaches in the weeks prior to her passing.

“The fight did not contribute to her death," Stone claimed. "There was no evidence of trauma either inside or outside the body to indicate that a fight of any magnitude contributed to this. There were no bruises, no cuts, no scrapes, no busted lips, no black eyes. Internally, the tissue that was tested also did not show any other trauma. The only trauma was limited in scope to the rupture that took place in the brain.”

As a result of this, no criminal charges will be filed.

Ashley Wright, following the press conference, told reporters she was not aware of any birth defects or conditions until after her daughter’s hospitalization.

Colleton County Sheriff R.A. Strickland said Friday (April 19) that Raniya was involved in a short “slap fight” and that her teacher was in the classroom during the altercation and quickly separated it.

A lawyer representing the Wright family says they will continue to seek more information surrounding the circumstances of Raniya’s untimely passing.

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.