My son died in the same river where toddler Xielo Maruziva fell – tragedies will continue to happen unless major changes are made
The grieving mother of a teenager who died in the same river. Two-year-old Xielo Maruziva, who fell four weeks ago, has spoken about her pain.
Kaleigh Wharton’s son Kieran, 13, was drawn from the River Soar in Leicestershire after getting into trouble in the water in May last year.
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His mother believes the water became too deep and because he could no longer swim, Kieran tragically drowned.
After a three-hour search he was taken to hospital, but when Kaleigh and Kieran’s father Ben Wharton arrived they were told he was dead.
Little Xielo ended up in the fast-flowing river on February 18, with his father jumping in desperately to try to save him.
Devastatingly, despite four weeks of extensive searches, the toddler has not been seen since.
Kaleigh is now calling for major changes to prevent more children from drowning.
RIVER HAS CLAIMED ‘A HORRIBLE MANY LIVES’
Speaking to The Sun, she said: “Since Kieran died I’ve seen everything around the world. news are people who lose their lives in different bodies of water.
“Every time I see it, it’s horrible. It’s very triggering. It immediately takes you back to what you went through and you think, ‘Oh my god, now that family has to go through this too.’
“It was heartbreaking when the two-year-old child fell into the same river. He’s not the first and he won’t be the last. Unfortunately, that river has claimed an awful lot of lives.
“When you’re a local and something like this happens, all you want to do is help. The fact that they still haven’t found him is heartbreaking. All I want for that family is closure.
“I know it’s hard to want that closure because no one wants to hear that they’ve lost their child.
“But at the same time, without that closure or chance to say goodbye, there’s no way to move forward.
“Every day I cross my fingers and think ‘please let today be the day they find that little boy’.”
‘CHANGE NEEDED’
Kaleigh has one Change.org petition to be returned annually swimming lessons inside schools so no other family has to go through what she has.
She said: “Kieran was a typical teenage boy. He enjoyed spending time with his friends, playing pranks on his siblings and generally being full of life.
‘I think if a child were in the same position as Kieran, they would have a better chance of saving themselves.
‘I hope that the alarming statistics of children drowning will decrease. Kieran couldn’t swim because we couldn’t afford the high cost of swimming lessons.
“This is a tragedy that no family should ever have to deal with and could be prevented by the reintroduction of annual swimming lessons in schools.”
Kaleigh also believes steps should be taken to improve safety at the River Soar, where her son died.
Every day I cross my fingers and think, please let today be today that they find that little boy.
Kaleigh Wharton
She explained: “There are also no lifebuoys on one side of the river.
“There are on the pub side, but there is none on this side.
‘It means that when Kieran went underwater the other boys had to run across the bridge to the pub to get a lifebuoy.
‘What use is that then? By then someone will have drowned.”
Advice for parents from the RLSS Drowning Prevention Society
To keep your children safe…
- Always lock gates and fences to prevent children from gaining access to water.
- Securely cover all water tanks and drains.
- Empty paddling pools and buckets immediately after use and place them upside down.
- Always supervise bathing and empty the bath immediately afterwards.
- Check the safety features before going on holiday: is there a lifeguard on the beach?
- Check swimming spots for hazards and always read the signs.
- Always swim with your children and beware of dangerous currents in the sea.
- Never use lilos and dinghies in open water; Every year there are drownings where people are dragged out to sea.
- Do not swim near rocks, piers, breakwaters or coral.
- Swim parallel to the beach and close to shore.
SEARCH FOR XIELO CONTINUES
The search for Xielo has entered its fourth week with expert divers concentrating on the stretch of river around Watermead Park and Birstall.
Xielo’s parents describe their son as a “cheeky, funny” boy who is “a bundle of joy.”
His mother said: “Me, his father and the whole family are so heartbroken by what has happened.
“We thank everyone who has supported and helped us during this time. We are extremely grateful for this.
“All we want is for Xielo to be found as quickly as possible.”
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