CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The parents of Ariana Baldwin, a 6-year-old girl who died after being found unresponsive in a backyard pool in Gastonia last year, are expected to file a $500 million federal lawsuit.

Baldwin was one of two children who were found unresponsive while celebrating a friend's birthday, according to court records. She was last seen at 9:30 a.m. playing on a trampoline before she went missing. Baldwin was later found in the deep end of the pool. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Baldwin's death was ruled accidental. Her parents, Dee Washington and Travis Baldwin, allege officials falsified records and hid evidence of trauma in the case, violating their civil rights.

The couple held a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Charlotte

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