A Fort Worth dentist faces a serious felony charge after a 4-year-old girl died during what was supposed to be a routine dental procedure earlier this year. Newly released court records are now raising troubling questions about medication handling, emergency response and how long it took for a criminal investigation to begin.
,Dr. Chrishelle Hemphill, 48, was arrested and charged with recklessly causing serious bodily injury to a child, a second-degree felony, after investigators determined her actions during an April 1 dental procedure resulted in the death of Aithana Rodriguez Arriaga., ,A day after her arrest, Hemphill posted bail on a $10,000 bond.,
,Fort Worth firefighters initially responded on April 1 to a medical call at Cuddle Kids Dental Care on Sycamore School Road after the child’s mother brought the girl in that morning for a tongue-tie procedure., ,Aithana became unresponsive following the procedure and was transported by Fort Worth Fire Department to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.,
,According to the affidavit, Aithana received chloral hydrate, hydroxyzine and meperidine in addition to nitrous oxide gas. While each medication individually fell within recommended limits, investigators allege Hemphill failed to account for the powerful combined effect of the drugs.,
,The medical examiner told investigators that the amount of meperidine found in Aithana’s system would have been high for an adult and that the medication was given to her twice. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner ruled the death as meperidine toxicity., ,Doctors told investigators a normal adult range for meperidine is 200 to 500 nanograms per milliliter. Testing showed Aithana’s level was 793 nanograms per milliliter.,
,Police also allege Hemphill failed to recognize signs that Aithana was slipping into respiratory distress and administered flumazenil, which reverses benzodiazepines, instead of naloxone, the medication used to counter opioid overdoses. The affidavit notes no benzodiazepines were found in the girl’s system.,
A July search warrant revealed additional alarming details about practices inside the dental office. ,When investigators searched the office, they found leftover medications left in syringes for future use., According to the warrant, an unnamed witness told investigators that if a patient did not finish a sedative, staff would keep it for the next patient. A consulting pediatric dentist described the practice as not only unsanitary but also capable of creating dangerous dosing problems.
Questions have also emerged about why it took months for criminal charges to be filed. Fort Worth police did not open a criminal investigation until June, after Aithana’s mother personally reported the autopsy findings to the department. The incident had previously been documented only as a medical call. A police spokesman acknowledged that the State Board of Dental Examiners had investigated the case but that law enforcement was not aware of it at the time.
,According to the warrant, Hemphill and members of her staff told investigators the child had breathing problems that were not disclosed before the procedure. However, investigators wrote that the girl’s doctors disputed that claim, telling detectives she had no history of breathing issues and was otherwise healthy.,
,Investigators later found that both the girl’s pediatrician and an ear, nose and throat specialist had previously determined that she did not have a tongue-tie, raising questions about why the procedure was performed at all.,
,Hemphill has been licensed as a dentist in Texas since 2017., The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners has since temporarily suspended her dental license. Hemphill is also licensed in Louisiana, though a spokesperson for that state’s dental board confirmed she is not currently practicing there and that any disciplinary action would remain confidential unless a final order is issued.
,If convicted, Hemphill faces two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000., Attempts to reach Hemphill and her attorney for comment have not been returned.