Coroner: 5-year-old died from ingesting vinegar

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Fayette County coroner's office says a 5-year-old Lexington boy's death two months ago was the result of ingesting vinegar and that the death is being investigated as a homicide.

The coroner's office said in a news release Friday that Joseph Maoping Adams died Dec. 3 at University of Kentucky Medical Center in the pediatric emergency department. An autopsy was performed in Frankfort the next day.

The release said the boy was taken to the hospital by emergency medical services after becoming unresponsive at home.

Lexington Police Department spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts told the Lexington Herald-Leader that the boy had an existing medical condition but said only medical professionals could determine whether there was any link to his death.

Roberts said police have been investigating the death since it occurred.