A grieving family is suing a hotel after their eight-year-old daughter tragically died in the pool's pipes.
Aliyah Jaico vanished on Saturday (23 March) while swimming in a lazy river at the DoubleTree by Hilton Houston Brookhollow with several family members.
Her body was later discovered at around 6m (20ft) deep inside the piping.
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Now, Aliyah's family have filed a lawsuit against the hotel and are seeking $1 million in damages.
Attorney Richard Nava said in a press conference on Tuesday (March 26): "We believe that Ayliah was violently sucked in the hole that was 12 to 16 inches wide.
"Her poor little body was contoured when she was sucked into this hole and pipe 20 feet back. Her body was inside of the motor when she had to be extracted. "They had to break up concrete in order to extract her, cut pipe. It was absolutely horrific."
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The lawsuit also laid out an alleged timeline of events, with Aliyah said to have 'suddenly disappeared' around 4:50pm on Saturday (March 23).
The girl's mom, Daniela Jaico, claims that she asked hotel management to look at surveillance footage around 5:20pm, but was allegedly denied access because 'police would have to be present to view'.
Jaico reported her daughter missing at 5:45pm, with surveillance footage being viewed after the authorities arrived.
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And when they were 'finally granted access to view the security footage', according to the suit, Aliyah had gone underwater and never returned to the surface.
At 11:30pm, the pool was drained and Aliyah's body was found 'wedged in the pipes of malfunctioning pool equipment'.
According to ABC13, it took 13 hours to retrieve her body.
"There was a lot of time wasted. Things at the hotel could have been done a lot better," Nava further claimed in the suit.
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Houston police are still awaiting autopsy results, with her preliminary cause of death being noted by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science as 'drowning and mechanical asphyxia'.
The Houston Health Department has since confirmed in a statement that an investigation had been carried out following Aliyah's death.
The statement 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.
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"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."
The pool will also remain closed until 'all violations are corrected and pool passes reinspection', a Houston Health Department inspection report says.
A Hilton spokesperson told UNILAD: "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.
"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 previously contacted legal representatives of DoubleTree by Hilton in Houston Brookhollow for a comment.
Topics: News
Callum Jones