A mom’s pledge: ‘I will not stop’ until justice is served

JOHN BARNETT

Dee Camm Washington (second from right) and family spokesman John Barnett (left) show photos of Ariana Baldwin, 6, who died last year in Dallas, North Carolina. Ariana’s family plans to file a federal civil rights lawsuit against Gaston County officials stemming from denying access to autopsy results and medical reports.

The parents of a Gaston County girl who died during a sleepover in 2024 are pulling out all the stops in pursuit of the truth. 

“I will not stop until my daughter’s truth is told,” said Dee Camm Washington, the mother to 6-year-old Ariana Baldwin, one of two girls who died last year in the pool of a Dallas, N.C., family. Washington and Ariana’s father, Travis Baldwin, announced plans to file a $500 million federal lawsuit against Gaston County officials claiming a violation of their civil rights. Washington and Baldwin feel they were deliberately misled about facts surrounding Ariana’s death, in addition to being denied access to autopsy results and medical reports. 

The deaths were ruled accidental by investigators. 

On May 25, 2024, Washington dropped Ariana off at the home of her 7-year-old classmate who was having a birthday sleepover. The following morning, according to investigators, the classmate’s father found both girls “unresponsive” at the bottom of the family’s pool and called EMS. 

Both girls were pronounced dead. However, Ariana’s parents had questions about details surrounding the death, as well as how much effort investigators were really putting into their work. Their suspicions were compounded when the family noticed contusions and bruising on Ariana’s body following the autopsy that were not mentioned in the coroner’s report. 

“The autopsy ignored facial bruising, a forehead dent, and a chest contusion that were documented by first responders,” says Washington. “[The autopsy] lacked any findings consistent with drowning.” 

Washington contends Gaston County officials have only responded with “continued silence.” 

“The investigation was quietly closed in 2024 without addressing the contradictions, and without notifying [Baldwin’s parents] until July 9, 2025,” Washington said. 

Fueling the family’s frustration, Washington adds, is that investigators have allegedly refused to share official case records and pictures with them. 

Washington retained independent forensic investigator Konnie Ford in July, who examined the original autopsy and medical report. 

“[Ford’s] investigation confirmed the absence of drowning indicators,” Washington said, “and the presence of trauma injuries.” 

Washington said Ford’s findings were “validating” to family who have questioned the official response. 

Ford’s report states “Ariana’s hair and clothing were dry, her lungs of normal weight, and there was no water in her airways or wrinkling of the skin.”

Washington says she submitted Ford’s findings to both Gaston County Police Department and Gaston County District Attorney Travis Paige shortly thereafter. 

Around the same time Ariana’s parents connected with activist and John C. Barnett and made their first public call to action in front of the Gaston County Courthouse. 

In addition to demanding a response from Gaston County police and the district attorney, Barnett urged federal authorities to launch an investigation. 

Washington confirmed that both the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have received a formal complaint from the family along with related evidence. To date, neither agency have publicly commented on their involvement in the case; however, Washington said her legal team is in “active communication” with federal officials who are reviewing the complaint. 

According to Barnett, just a few days after the Gaston press conference, Paige’s office reached out to schedule a meeting with family members to discuss Ford’s report. However, the meeting was abruptly canceled by the district attorney a few days later. 

On July 30, District Attorney Travis Paige’s office released an official statement that his office reviewed the investigation into the drownings conducted by Gaston County police and as a result “determined Ariana Camm Baldwin’s death was a tragic accidental drowning, and the facts surrounding that drowning did not rise to the level of chargeable, criminal negligence.” 

“What happened to Ariana was not an accident,” Washington said. “It was a cover-up.” 

Ariana’s family held a press conference earlier this month in front of the federal courthouse in Charlotte, where Barnett called for action from Gaston and federal officials. The family also revealed their intent to file a lawsuit 
Although Washington describes herself as “extremely devastated” she insists the pursuit of truth has taken on a larger meaning. 

“We are fighting not just for her, but for every child whose story was buried to protect someone in power,” she said, adding, “Ariana’s case stands as a mirror reflecting a painful American truth that Black and underprivileged families too often face silence and obstruction instead of justice.” 

Washington did not elaborate on who she suspects might be behind a cover-up, but reiterated that “race, power and politics” are the driving force behind instances where families are left groping for answers. 

“[Ariana’s] story is not isolated,” she said. “It represents countless cases where Black children’s lives are devalued and dismissed.”

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