“The effect of being in cold water would have caused unconsciousness and death relatively swiftly,” Coroner Graeme Irvine told the BBC
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NEED TO KNOW
- Kaliyah Coa, 11, died due to the cold temperature of the River Thames’ water, according to the initial findings of a coroner’s inquest; she did not drown
- “The effect of being in cold water would have caused unconsciousness and death relatively swiftly,” Coroner Graeme Irvine said at a hearing
- Coa’s body was found in the river on April 13, two weeks after she was first reported missing on March 31
Kaliyah Coa did not drown, according to the initial findings of a coroner’s inquest.
After the East London Coroner’s Court opened an inquest into the death of the 11-year old — whose body was found in the River Thames in April after she went missing in March — on May 2, Coroner Graeme Irvine explained the findings at a hearing, the BBC reported.
It appeared Coa had entered the river in an attempt to recover a lost shoe, and died shortly after due to the frigid temperature of the water, per the London coroner.
“The effect of being in cold water would have caused unconsciousness and death relatively swiftly,” Irvine said, according to the BBC.
This aligns with preliminary postmortem findings, which suggested that the 11-year-old did not drown, the outlet reported.
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Irvine was required to have a hearing because the cause of Coa’s cause of death was “unnatural,” and told the court that the provisional cause of death is immersion, the BBC reported. Additional tests still need to be conducted, however, the coroner said.
The East London Coroner’s Court did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Saturday, May 10.
Coa’s body was discovered in Maritime Quay in the morning of April 13, two weeks after she was first reported missing on March 31. On the day Kaliyah went missing, she was off from school, according to police, who previously said she entered the water near the Barge House Causeway.
Two children were seen at the scene trying to get help, according to a witness.
In a statement to the BBC, Coa’s family said that the 11-year-old had gone to a birthday party “and never returned home.”
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“Our hearts are broken and our lives will never be the same,” the family said. “We were blessed to have Kaliyah, even if it was for such a short time. She will be missed so much.”
The family also thanked everyone who took part in the search for Coa, and requested their privacy be respected in the wake of her death.
“This tragic accident took away a little girl who was loved by many,” Detective Superintendent Scott Ware echoed the family in a statement, per Sky News. “Our specialist officers will continue to support Kaliyah’s family as they process this heartbreaking news.”
