Woman arrested over death of autistic girl, 7, found in pond

A woman has been arrested over the death of a seven-year-old autistic girl found dead in a golf course pond.

Nyla May Bradshaw was found unresponsive in a pond on Owston Golf Course, north of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on March 30.

South Yorkshire Police said on Friday that a woman aged in her 30s has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and child neglect.

She has been bailed pending further inquiries, the force said.

Detective Chief Inspector Gary Magnay said while initial inquiries had indicated the circumstances of Nyla’s death were not suspicious, police had ‘furthered (their) investigation into the events leading up to the incident’.

An inquest opening earlier this month heard Nyla was ‘a non-verbal seven-year-old girl who had been diagnosed with autism’.

Coroner’s officer Jane McDonnell said Nyla was being looked after by a childminder and ‘during the course of the day she was taken out to a park in the Owston area of Doncaster’.

She said: ‘During the course of the excursion she passed through a gap in the fence and approached woodland close to Owston Golf Course.’

Ms McDonnell said a search began after the childminder raised the alarm with police and Nyla’s family.

The girl was found unresponsive and face down in a pond on the golf course, the officer told Doncaster’s senior coroner Nicola Mundy.

Nyla was taken to hospital but could not be resuscitated, the court heard.

Mr Magnay said: ‘The heart-breaking loss of Nyla May has had a huge emotional impact – not just on her family, friends and loved ones, but on the wider community.

‘Nyla May’s family continues to be in the forefront of our thoughts as our work progresses, and we will continue to support them throughout this awful time.

‘Since this tragedy, our officers have been working hard to establish the full circumstances surrounding Nyla’s death.

‘While initial inquiries indicated the circumstances were not suspicious, these ongoing inquiries have ultimately led us to make this arrest and further our investigation in relation to the events leading up to the incident.

‘The proceedings in this case are now active, which means nothing must be published by anyone, including members of the public, which could threaten the integrity of any future court proceedings.

‘For this reason, I’d urge the public to not speculate about the incident, including on social media, and respect the privacy of all those affected.’

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