The Hamilton County Coroner's Office has not released a cause of death for Ngone Talla, the 7-year-old who died Sept. 16 in her wheelchair on a Cincinnati Public Schools bus.

As of Sept. 30, nearly two weeks after her death, the investigation remains open, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Cincinnati police have announced no charges.

Ngone, a nonverbal second-grader with cerebral palsy who used a wheelchair, attended Roselawn Condon School. She died after the bus, operated by contractor First Student, arrived at her family's Northside home. CPS contracts with First Student to transport students district-wide, including children with disabilities at east-side schools such as Kilgour and Clark Montessori.

What the family saw

The bus sat outside the Talla family's home on the 4200 block of Colerain Avenue for 10 to 15 minutes before the family was asked to come aboard, the family told WCPO 9. Ngone's 12-year-old sister, Marema Talla, found her motionless. Their father, Abdoula Talla, called 911 at about 5:03 p.m. Dispatch crews were sent to the address at 5:05 p.m. for a child in possible cardiac arrest, according to recordings WCPO reviewed.

Ngone was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

"I just want to know the truth," Abdoula Talla told WCPO on Sept. 18.

Unanswered questions

Two adults were on the bus: a driver and a bus monitor, both employed by First Student. Abdoula Talla told WCPO the monitor was someone his family had never seen before. The aide who normally rode with Ngone was not there that day.

CPS told the Enquirer it did not know the monitor's official title or whether that person was a substitute. The district referred questions to First Student.

The coroner's office said early in the investigation that Ngone "became unresponsive in her wheelchair on the bus" and had "extensive medical history including cerebral palsy," according to WLWT. The office said there were no traumatic injuries and no signs of harm. Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco told Fox 19 on Sept. 17 that the death appeared natural but that her office was looking into it, the Enquirer reported.

As of Ngone's Sept. 21 funeral, the coroner's chief investigator said a determination could take another two weeks at least pending toxicology results, Local 12 reported. No specific timeline has been announced.

Sources told WXIX that Ngone may have gotten stuck in a seatbelt before her death. A First Student spokesperson disputed that, saying nothing in the investigation pointed to the seatbelt as a cause, the New York Post reported on Sept. 18.

Training questions

First Student advertises a six-day special-needs training program for bus staff. But a company representative told the Enquirer that CPS does not contract First Student for that service. That raises questions about what training the adults on Ngone's bus received.

Ohio attorney Carla Leader specializes in special education law and is not involved in the case. She told WCPO on Sept. 18 that transportation counts as a related service under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, known as IDEA.

CPS said it was unaware of any video footage and that any recordings would be in First Student's possession.

First Student said in a Sept. 17 statement that it was cooperating with authorities but could not share details because of the active investigation. CPS issued a statement the same day calling the loss "unimaginable" and saying its crisis response unit was supporting the Roselawn Condon community.

The coroner's office has not announced when it expects to release a final determination.