The mother of a young girl who died after being sucked into the pipe of a swimming pool has spoken out.
Aliyah Jaico was staying at the Hilton DoubleTree Hotel in Houston, Texas, when tragedy struck at around 5:45pm on Saturday (23 March).
The eight-year-old was swimming in the hotel pool when she was somehow sucked into one of the pipes.
Advert
Sadly, after a 13-hour rescue attempt, Aliyah was found trapped in the pipe, having died from 'drowning and mechanical asphyxia', according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science.
Investigators are currently trying to work out how the tragedy could have happened.
Following the incident, a spokesperson for the hotel giant said: "Hilton offers our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones in the tragic loss of a young girl at the DoubleTree by Hilton Houston Brookhollow.
Advert
"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."
The little girl's family has taken a legal case against Unique Crown Hospitality LLC D/B/A DoubleTree by Hilton Houston Brookhollow, and Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., seeking $1 million in damages, with a trial by jury also requested.
And now, in an emotional statement on social media, Aliyah's mum, Daniela, share 'our last photo' of her.
The post read: "They say we all have our destiny marked... but I can't understand why yours was like this.
Advert
"Thank you, my love, for the eight years you gave me by your side. Thank you, my girl, for teaching me what love is and a noble heart."
According to reports, the issue appears to have been the pool's filter.
One pipe should have been sucking water out of the pool, the other should have been pumping it back in, however, it ended up pulling water out instead.
Advert
In a statement, The Houston Health Department confirmed that an inspection had been carried out following the young girl's death.
It said: "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."
A Hilton hotels spokesperson told LADbible Group: "Hilton offers our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones in the tragic loss of a young girl at the DoubleTree by Hilton Houston Brookhollow.
Advert
"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."
LADbible Group has contacted the legal representatives of DoubleTree by Hilton in Houston Brookhollow for a comment.
Dominic Smithers