The cause of death for 4-month-old Tanna Rae Wroblewski, who tragically passed away after being exposed to extreme heat aboard a boat with her family last summer, has been officially confirmed. According to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office, Tanna Rae died from complications of environmental heat exposure.
The baby lost consciousness around 5 p.m. on Friday, July 5, 2024, and was later pronounced dead. Tanna Rae’s death was ruled an accident, with the medical examiner citing exposure to elevated environmental temperatures estimated at 120 degrees as the cause. As a result, the infant suffered hemorrhagic shock, anoxic brain injury, and dehydration.
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Hemorrhagic shock, as defined by the New England Journal of Medicine, occurs when “severe blood loss leads to inadequate oxygen delivery at the cellular level.” The anoxic brain injury resulted in cerebral edema, meaning that the lack of oxygen caused her brain to swell.
The extreme dehydration led to dangerously low fluid levels, flattened fontanelles (the soft spot on a baby’s skull), and a rapid drop in blood pressure, ultimately causing unconsciousness. Family members attempted to revive the infant with CPR before first responders from the Lake Havasu City Fire Department arrived, according to a GoFundMe page set up for the Wroblewski family.
Emergency responders continued CPR efforts before transporting Tanna to Havasu Regional Medical Center. She was later airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Tanna’s mother, Alyssa Wroblewski, shared a heartbreaking tribute on Facebook on July 7, just two days after her daughter’s passing. Her account has since been deactivated.
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“Tanna Rae, our real-life angel became an angel in heaven 💔😭. We are beyond devastated, and heartbroken—there are just no words. On July 5, 2024, our precious girl gave us her last smiles and we gave her our last kisses. Please visit us, baby girl 🦋🪻,” she wrote.
She added, “I will never understand why you had to leave us, you were just too perfect. I love you endlessly and I will look for you everywhere, angel.” The Wroblewski family had visited Lake Havasu numerous times since April with Tanna, who was born in March 2024, as seen in past family Facebook posts. A GoFundMe campaign launched in support of the family raised $49,135 before the donation function was disabled.
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