A Miami family is mourning the death of a 13-year-old boy after a tragic playground accident at Shenandoah Park, where his mother says his shirt became caught on part of a slide and tightened around his neck.
Olvin Daniel Cabrera Valladares was found unresponsive at the park on Sept. 25.
Miami Fire Rescue crews responded to Shenandoah Park and immediately began life-saving measures before taking the boy to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition.
At the time, police said foul play was not suspected and described the case as a non-criminal investigation.
Olvin’s mother, Estefanía Valladares, later said a man who was visiting the park with his own children discovered her son inside the slide.
According to Valladares, the man told her that Olvin appeared to be caught on a screw inside the playground equipment.
She said the man pulled on him and eventually freed him, but by then the collar of Olvin’s shirt had tightened around his neck.
That account has not been independently confirmed by the City of Miami or police, and officials have not publicly announced a final cause of the accident.
Olvin remained hospitalized for several days as doctors worked to save him.
His sister, Stephany, said the family held onto hope while medical teams continued treatment.
On Oct. 1, the family said Olvin was declared brain dead.
His death has devastated relatives who described him as the youngest child in the family and a boy who still had his entire future ahead of him.
Olvin was a student at Citrus Grove K-8 Center in Miami.
His mother said he should have been in school that day and is now warning other parents to carefully inspect playground equipment before allowing their children to play.
She said the family wants answers about how the accident could have happened and whether anything on the slide contributed to her son’s death.
Investigators were seen examining both the inside and outside of the playground slide after Olvin was found.
The park was temporarily closed while police and city officials investigated.
It reopened the following day.
When local reporters later inspected the playground, visible screws on the equipment appeared to sit flat against the surface.
It remains unclear whether any repairs or changes were made before the park reopened.
The City of Miami has said the matter remains under investigation and has declined to provide additional details while that review continues.
A fundraiser created for Olvin’s family has raised more than $10,000 to help with funeral expenses.
His relatives shared photos of him smiling with family members and remembered him as a deeply loved son and brother.
For Olvin’s mother, the loss has turned an ordinary neighborhood park into the site of an unimaginable tragedy.
Now, while the city continues its investigation, the family is hoping to understand exactly what happened and prevent another child from suffering a similar accident.
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