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Cause of death of four boys who tragically died in icy lake revealed at inquest
Such a tragic case
The cause of death of the four boys who tragically fell into an icy lake in Solihull has been revealed at the inquest.
After falling through the ice of the frozen lake, the boys died from drowning, an inquest hearing has been told.
The boys have all been named now as brothers Samuel Butler, 6, and Finlay Butler, 8, their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and Jack Johnson, 10.
Emergency services and the public pulled them from the water after a ‘heroic effort’ – the young lads were rushed to hospital but sadly couldn’t be saved.
The coroner heard that three of the boys were rescued after 22 minutes in the water, while a fourth was pulled out after 31 minutes.
Jack was the first to be named as one of the boys who tragically died in the freezing lake, and according to locals he ran in to help the boys after hearing their screams.
Jack’s aunt Charlotte McIlmurray paid tribute to him on social media, saying that he had bravely waded into the water to rescue the three other boys.
She took to Facebook to write: “The 10-year-old boy is my nephew. He saw one go through the ice and he ran and tried to save them.
“Our prayers and thoughts are with the other family. We are just broken over it.
“To find out he died trying to save 3 lads he didn’t even know, that just sums him up. He was amazing.”
She added: “This is a nightmare that families can’t wake from. The pain is unimaginable, he was my nephew so I know the pain is a million times worse for their mums.”