Girl, 7, discovered useless in pond after ‘getting away from childminder by fence’
An inquest has been opened into the death of Nyla May Bradshaw, 7, who was found unresponsive in a pond on Owston Golf Course in South Yorkshire after going missing
Nyla May Bradshaw who drowned in a golf course pond(Image: Facebook)
A seven-year-old autistic girl vanished while out with a childminder before tragically being found unresponsive in a pond on a golf course north of Doncaster.
An inquest has heard the heartbreaking details of how Nyla May Bradshaw was pulled from a pond on Owston Golf Course, South Yorkshire, and rushed to Doncaster Royal Infirmary where she sadly passed away.
Nyla was “a non-verbal seven-year-old girl who had been diagnosed with autism,” Coroner’s officer Jane McDonnell informed an inquest in Doncaster on Thursday. Nyla was under the care of a childminder and “during the course of the day she was taken out to a park in the Owston area of Doncaster,” Ms McDonnell explained.
She added: “During the course of the excursion she passed through a gap in the fence and approached woodland close to Owston Golf Course.”, reports the Mirror.
The childminder alerted the police and Nyla’s family and a search was initiated to find the missing girl, the inquest heard.
Tragically, she was discovered unresponsive and face down in a pond on the golf course, the officer told Doncaster’s senior coroner Nicola Mundy.
Nyla was rushed to hospital but could not be resuscitated, the court was told. Ms Mundy set a provisional inquest date for December 8.
No cause of death was provided during the brief hearing. No members of Nyla’s family were present at the hearing but the coroner requested that they be kept updated on the proceedings.
Following her tragic passing, children’s autism charity Little Rainbows Doncaster stated: “Nyla was a beautiful, deeply loved seven-year-old girl who brought so much light to those around her.
“She was autistic and non-verbal, yet her presence spoke volumes – she touched more lives than words could ever express. A beautiful little girl who loved Christmas especially. Our entire community is heartbroken, and our thoughts are firmly with her family as they face this unimaginable loss.”
The charity further commented: “For many of us as parents of autistic children, this is the fear we carry every single day – and today, that fear has become a reality for one of our own.”
Little Rainbows Doncaster later released a statement indicating Nyla’s death underscored “the systemic issues that may have contributed to the circumstances in which this incident occurred” and “raises serious concerns about the adequacy, continuity and safety of care provision for disabled children outside of school settings”.
It added: “That must never happen to another family again.” The charity revealed Nyla had complex needs and attended a specialist school where she required constant one-to-one supervision.
An online tribute page was established following the tragedy which had, by Thursday, collected over £20,000 to assist Nyla’s family with funeral and other expenses. South Yorkshire Police detailed the extensive search operation launched to find Nyla, which included drones and a helicopter.
