A TWO-year-old boy drowned in a canal while his family was moving due to fear of living so close to water, an inquest heard.
Jayce Olutola was found by police after he went missing from his home in Ettingshall, Wolverhampton, on August 11.
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Canal along Hendon Avenue in Ettingshall, WolverhamptonCredit: SWNS
The policeman tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, according to the Montenegrin coroner’s court.
The inquest was told that Jayce lived with his parents on nearby Hendon Avenue, but they were preparing to move because of safety concerns because they live so close to the waterway.
His mom left the house around 5pm to move things to the new property, but left the garage door open.
About half an hour later, 911 was called after his great-aunt realized the toddler was nowhere to be found in the house.
The inquest heard he is believed to have escaped through a garage and was pulled from the Wolverhampton and Birmingham Canal at around 6pm.
Black Country Senior Coroner Mr. Zafar Siddique read statements from the families who he said were excused from attending the hearing due to the harrowing circumstances.
He said they were “moving to a new home to reduce the risk of drowning”.
Mr Siddique added: “Jayce was living with his parents who had just moved.
“His father was at work and his mother left around 5 pm to move things to the new property.
“At some point his great-aunt noticed that she couldn’t hear Jayce in the house.
“She searched the house and saw that the garage door was open.
“She immediately went looking for him in the house and in the nearby streets.
“Unfortunately, she couldn’t find him and started looking around the canal area.
“His mother then returned and called 999 to report him missing.”
Mr Siddique also read a statement from PC Bates, the police officer who tragically found him.
The officer described how she searched the towpath for several minutes before spotting him in the water.
PC Bates said: “I saw a member of the public walking and I stopped to ask them if they had seen a small child. They hadn’t.
“I turned around and headed toward Jayce’s home and after about 30 feet I saw what looked like a small child in the water, in the middle of the canal about 5 feet away.”
She described how she pressed the emergency button to call 911 and then climbed into the water.
She said she lifted him out of the water before performing CPR until other officers and a doctor arrived on the scene.
The coroner said Jayce was taken to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton where he was pronounced dead despite efforts to save him.
A statement made by the Canal & River Trust said there were three standard “spaced out” gates to access the towpath nearby.
It further stated that it promotes “safety initiatives” by warning of the dangers of drowning in canals.
Recording his conclusion, Mr. Siddique said: “In this case, we have been told that Jayce Olutola’s family is in the process of moving.
“He managed to leave the property, probably through the garage door and headed towards the nearby canal.
“Shortly after that, he was found submerged in the canal and died as a result of drowning.
“I conclude that Jayce died an accidental death as a result of falling into the canal.
“This is an absolute tragedy for the family and my heart goes out to them.
– My deepest condolences to them.
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Source: HIS Education