Only a few months ago, De’Mario “Raz B” Thornton and his wife, Mona Li, were celebrating a new chapter in their family.

Their baby boy, Astro Monte Thornton, had arrived.

There were family photos. A proud big brother. A Father’s Day celebration. And messages about a growing family and a future that seemed to be opening in front of them.

Then, suddenly, Astro was gone.

The B2K singer and his wife announced in September that their infant son had died at just 3 months old, a loss their representative described as unexpected. Days later came another development — one that might normally be expected to provide answers.

An autopsy had been completed.

But the central question remained unresolved.

According to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, Astro’s cause of death and manner of death were both still pending investigation after the examination.

For his parents, grief was now accompanied by uncertainty.

Just Months Earlier, the Family Was Celebrating Astro’s Arrival

Astro entered the Thornton family in May 2026.

On May 18, Raz B shared photographs as Mona prepared to give birth, describing the moment as something he had long dreamed about: having a family of his own and watching it grow.

He announced they were at the hospital preparing to welcome another baby boy.

Days later, the family celebrated Astro’s arrival publicly.

A post shared through older brother Versai Carter Thornton’s social media account described it as the “best week ever” and celebrated Versai becoming a big brother.

Raz B and Mona also share Versai, who was born in October 2024, while Mona has an older daughter from a previous relationship.

The timing made the contrast particularly painful.

In April, Mona had celebrated Raz B completing B2K’s Boys 4 Life Tour while she was nearing the end of her pregnancy. By May, the family was welcoming Astro.

Then came Father’s Day.

The couple shared another glimpse of their life together, including footage of Raz holding his infant son. The posts reflected an ordinary kind of happiness — parents adjusting to life with a new baby and siblings getting used to a growing family.

Less than three months later, everything changed.

Astro’s Death Was Described as Sudden and Unexpected

News of Astro’s death became public on September 10.

Family publicist David Robinson confirmed that the baby had died and issued a statement on behalf of Raz B and Mona Li, describing Astro as their beloved son and asking the public to respect the family’s privacy.

Sources close to the family separately described the death as sudden and unexpected. No cause was announced.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently confirmed that an autopsy had been performed on September 9, one day after Astro died.

But completing an autopsy did not immediately produce a public explanation.

Both the cause — the medical reason a person died — and the manner of death remained pending investigation.

That distinction matters.

A pending ruling does not mean investigators will never determine what happened. It means the examination itself may be only one part of a larger process.

Why an Autopsy May Not Provide an Immediate Answer

When an infant dies suddenly and the cause is not immediately apparent, investigators can need considerably more information than what can be learned during the physical autopsy alone.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says investigations of sudden unexpected infant deaths can involve the infant’s medical history, circumstances surrounding the death, information from the scene and findings provided to the forensic pathologist.

The CDC’s investigation framework specifically emphasizes that scene information can help medical examiners interpret autopsy findings and determine an accurate cause of death.

That is why it would be premature to attach any specific explanation to Astro’s death.

There has been no public determination that Astro died from SIDS, accidental suffocation, an illness or any other particular cause.

There has also been no publicly announced finding establishing foul play.

For now, the official status is simply that the cause and manner remain under investigation.

That uncertainty is important because infant deaths can involve very different medical and environmental circumstances. National CDC data groups sudden unexpected infant deaths into categories that include SIDS, accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, and deaths whose causes remain unknown after investigation. But those national categories do not establish what happened in any individual case.

Astro’s case must ultimately be determined on its own evidence.

From B2K Stardom to Fatherhood

For longtime music fans, Raz B is best known as one of the four members of B2K, alongside Omarion, J-Boog and Lil Fizz.

The group became one of the defining R&B boy bands of the early 2000s, releasing songs including “Uh Huh,” “Gots Ta Be” and the chart-topping “Bump, Bump, Bump.”

B2K’s self-titled debut reached No. 2 on the album chart, while their follow-up, Pandemonium!, went platinum. The group also appeared in the 2004 dance film You Got Served.

But the photographs Raz and Mona had been sharing in 2026 showed a different side of the performer.

Not a member of a famous boy band.

A father.

A husband.

A man holding his newborn child.

That is what makes the images from Astro’s brief life especially difficult to look back on now.

Raz B Breaks His Silence

After the family initially asked for privacy, Raz B later returned to social media with a message of gratitude.

He thanked supporters for the prayers, messages and well wishes that had been sent to him, Mona and their family.

He also revealed that they were preparing to lay Astro to rest on Monday, September 14, and thanked those who had asked about sending flowers.

It was a devastating reversal from the posts only months earlier.

In May, the family had been introducing Astro to the world.

By September, they were preparing his funeral.

One Question Still Has No Public Answer

As of September 17, the most important detail surrounding Astro Monte Thornton’s death remains unresolved publicly.

The autopsy has been performed.

The medical examiner’s investigation has continued.

But no final cause or manner of death has been publicly announced in the available reports.

Until that determination is made, anything beyond those facts would be speculation.

For Raz B and Mona Li, however, the investigation is only one part of what they are facing.

Their son lived for just three months, but the family had already begun building a world around him — welcoming him home, introducing him to his siblings and documenting the first moments of a life they expected to watch unfold for years.

Now, the photographs remain.

The celebrations remain.

And somewhere inside an investigation that has not yet produced a public conclusion is the answer to the question his parents — and many people following their story — are still waiting to hear:

What happened to baby Astro?