Girl, 7, found with bag over head, fights for life

Police are trying to determine how a 7-year-old girl ended up with a bag over her head in her Olney home, leaving her fighting for her life.

The unusual incident had an even stranger beginning. Police went to the home on the 5500 block of North American Street around 1 a.m. Wednesday, after a woman called to report her car had been stolen by an 18-year-old resident of the house. 6ABC said the alleged thief is the woman's son and brother of the injured girl.

When the officer responding to the car-theft report asked for the vehicle's paperwork, the woman went to the basement and found her daughter unresponsive with a bag over her head, police said.

The woman, screaming for help, carried the girl to the officer, who reportedly began resuscitation efforts. The child was reported to be in extremely critical condition at Einstein Medical Center.

In the meantime, police found the stolen car crashed into parked vehicles a few blocks away, Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters at the scene. The 18-year-old was being sought.

Small said police do not yet know if the girl ended up with the bag over her head due to a crime or an accident. He said many plastic bags were in the basement where the child was found.

The investigation is continuing.