Boy who fell in water named as Xielo Maruziva - search enters fourth day
The "cheeky" two-year-old youngster who fell in the River Soar has been named as Xielo Maruziva as police continue to search for his body.
Leciestershire Police have today named the young boy as Xielo Maruziva. A massive search was launched for Xielo on Sunday following reports he fell into the river at the Aylestone Meadows area, near to Marsden Lane.
Xielo’s mother said in a statement released by police: “Xielo is a cheeky, funny, friendly, smart, caring and independent little boy. He never fails to make me laugh or smile and always loves a cuddle and some kisses.
“Xielo loves playing with his toys and watching cartoons including Bino and Fino. Me, his dad and the whole family are so heartbroken at what has happened. We thank everyone who has supported us and helped us during this time. We are extremely grateful for this. All we want is for Xielo to be found as soon as possible. Thank you.”
A two-year-old boy reported to have fallen into the River Soar has today been named as Xielo Maruziva (Leicestershire Police)Xielo’s father added: “Xielo is a bundle of joy to us. He is a charming and creative little boy and has just started at nursery. He loves cuddles, playing with his toys and going to the park. As a family we have been completely devastated over the past few days as the search for Xielo continues. It is hard to describe the pain and suffering we are going through.
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“We would like to thank the search teams at the scene. We would also like to thank members of the public for all of your support. It is your prayers which are keeping us strong.
“We kindly ask that people wait for updates through the authorities in relation to the search as we continue to be overwhelmed with enquiries and messages at this time. Thank you all for your ongoing love and support.”
Earlier today, Assistant Chief Constable Michaela Kerr spoke of the overwhelming support received in extremely difficult circumstances.
A search operation underway on the River Soar (PA)She has also spoken of the difficultly caused by today’s weather conditions but that the priority remains to find the missing boy.
She said: "As we now enter the fourth day of the search for the missing boy, we have been truly overwhelmed by the support we have received from forces and other agencies across the country as well as from our communities and the wider public. We really do thank you for this. The priority for us all remains to find this little boy and we are grateful for all of your help and support.
“Specialist officers continue to provide full support to the family and our thoughts very much remain with them. I thank them for their bravery, their support and co-operation with us at this extremely traumatic time.
“I would also like to add that following the appeal we issued on Monday evening for witnesses, we have had a large number of responses and have identified a number of people who were in the area at the time who have provided us with information. Thank you to everyone who has made contact with us and helped us with our enquiries. It is very much appreciated by us all.
A police officer wades through the water during a search operation on the River Soar (PA)“While the weather conditions today do make the search more difficult for us, this will absolutely not stop our dedicated and specialist teams at the scene from doing everything they can. Our search operation today does very much remain ongoing.”
Officers were first called to the River Soar in Aylestone Meadows, close to Marsden Lane, at around 5pm on Sunday (18 February) after the boy fell into the water.
Despite the best efforts of people who were at the scene they were not able to locate him. Specialist teams were deployed to the area on Sunday evening, including Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, and continued in their efforts to locate the child.
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Since Sunday numerous teams from across the country have assisted in the operation including specialist diving teams from Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
The National Police Air Service (NPAS) and drone unit continue to support officers on the ground. Kent and West Mercia Police Search and Rescue team and the Metropolitan Police Marine Recovery dogs joined the operation yesterday (Tuesday).
The Environment Agency has also supported the operation with their specialist mapping equipment which has assisted officers in identifying key search areas.
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