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TOQUERVILLE, Washington County — Family members in a fundraiser remembered the 5-year-old girl who died after being found unresponsive in a bathtub in Toquerville as "sunshine" in the lives of those who knew her.
Deputies and police officers from La Verkin responded to a home in Toquerville about 11:30 a.m. Dec. 11 after the girl was found unresponsive while taking a bath, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Responders performed lifesaving measures until medical personnel could arrive.
The girl, Emma Brinkerhoff, was taken to St. George Regional Hospital before being flown in critical condition to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.
On Dec. 13, the sheriff's office initially announced the girl had died, then later said she was alive but on life support. According to Emma's obituary, she died later that day in the hospital.
"Emma Grace was a beautiful 5-year-old girl with dark hair, sparkling brown eyes and a turned-up nose with a look of mischief on her face. She was a bright spot of sunshine in her family and neighborhood," her obituary said.
According to her obituary, Emma loved shopping, baking cookies with her mom, playing games with her brothers, planning picnic lunches for her dog Bandit and stuffed animal friends and giving her dad hugs.
"The world was a much more beautiful and fun place for the five years Emma Grace was in it. A smart and funny girl with a love of unicorns. She loved to dance and sometimes you could catch her dance performances in front of her house in the driveway where the neighborhood could watch her," the obituary said.
Funeral services will be held for Emma on Saturday.
A GoFundMe* campaign was created for the Brinkerhoff family, to aid in funeral and medical expenses.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
