A lawsuit has been filed following the death of 8-year-old girl, who was found dead in the piping of a hotel's swimming pool.
The victim, identified as Aliyah Lynette Jaico, was tragically pulled from the swimming pool at the DoubleTree by Hilton, as revealed by her grieving family.
The 8-year-old girl was reported missing over the weekend after she vanished while having a swim in the hotel's "lazy river style" pool. It took search teams 13 hours to locate the girl, as they came to the heartbreaking realization that she never left the swimming pool.
Aliyah's lifeless body was discovered in a 30cm-wide pool tube, following the draining of the pool and the use of a camera to investigate the pipes, WIS10 reports.
Tim Miller - founder of Texas EquuSearch - described the grim discovery, stating, "We put them poles in there almost 20 feet, and we saw her little hand and part of her body, so we got the fire department back out there."
The preliminary cause of Aliyah's death, as determined by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science, was listed as 'drowning and mechanical asphyxia', with indications pointing to a tragic accident, the Daily Mail reports.
Now, ABC13 has shared details of a lawsuit filed by the girl's mother, which recalls the moment the child was found "wedged in the pipes of malfunctioning pool equipment".
In a lawsuit against Doubletree's parent company, Hilton, and the hotel's local operator, Unique Crowne Hospitality, lawyers representing Aliyah's mother have also scheduled a news conference to discuss their pursuit of justice. They are seeking no less than $1 million in damages for Aliyah's family.
While attempts by ABC13 to obtain a comment from the hotel's ownership group regarding the lawsuit were unsuccessful, confirmation was provided that the pool had been temporarily closed.
In a statement issued late Monday night, a spokesperson for Hilton extended condolences to the family and emphasized the hotel's cooperation with authorities investigating the incident. The statement reads:
"Hilton offers our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones for the tragic loss of a young girl at the DoubleTree by Hilton Houston Brookhollow. This property is independently owned and operated by a third party. Hilton does not own, manage, or control the day-to-day operations of the property and does not employ any of the property's staff or its third-party operators.
"We understand that the property is cooperating fully with all authorities investigating the incident. We ask that any further questions be directed to the hotel ownership's counsel at Trent & Taylor, L.L.P or the Houston Police Department."
According to details revealed in the lawsuit, Aliyah's mother had booked a room at the Doubletree to enoy a day of swimming with her daughter. However, tragedy struck when Aliyah vanished from the lazy river area around 5:00PM on Saturday (March 23), prompting her mother to alert the authorities after an exhaustive 13-hour-long search.
The search operation escalated with the involvement of Texas EquuSearch, employing specialized equipment to inspect the pool's pipes.
Tim Miller, founder of Texas EquuSearch, recounted the harrowing efforts to locate Aliyah, mentioning the review of security footage showing the child entering the water but never resurfacing. "We put them poles in there almost 20 feet, and we saw her little hand and part of her body, so we got the fire department back out there," Miller said.
"I don’t think she decided, ‘I am going to swim in here and see what’s here’," Miller added. "Many of us had to wipe tears from our eyes. This is one of the saddest ones we’ve seen in a good while."
In a distressing allegation within the lawsuit, attorneys described Aliyah's death being preceded by being "violently sucked into a 12- to 16-inch unsecured open gap in the swimming pool flow system."
ABC 13 Investigates also reported the findings of the Houston Health Department's reports from Monday's subsequent inspection, which underscored multiple violations. Part of Monday's report read:
"Main drain document was provided and still valid. However small pool has 32-inch channel drains on the walls, without a valid document stating their function, date of installation and date of expiration. A full inspection was conducted, multiple violations were observed. Video footage is available, however manager stated that the footage is being reviewed by legal, and we would have to wait to receive a copy."
Aliyah's mother has since taken to Facebook to share a poignant selfie taken at the pool, captioning it: "Our last photo."
In a heartrending tribute written in Spanish, Daniela bid farewell to her beloved daughter, writing: "They say we all have our destiny marked... but I can't understand why yours was like this.
"Thank you my love for the 8 years you gave me by your side. Thank you my girl for teaching me what love is and a noble heart.
"I still don't accept that you won't be here anymore, I don't have to pretend. I hope to see you again one day and you'll keep looking at me and you'll get that big smile that was contagious with joy.
"You gave yourself to love always with your heart so noble. I will love you for all eternity. You are the most beautiful thing God has given me and after every battle we went through together we didn't win this one."
Our thoughts go out to Aliyah's family and loved ones at this tragic time.
