HOUSTON – The hotel pool where the body of a missing 8-year-old girl was found Sunday is closed until further notice, and inspectors from Houston’s Health Department were back on site Monday morning.
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Aliyah Jaico was identified Monday by the Harris County Medical Examiner’s office.
Jaico’s body was found in a drain pipe that feeds the pool after an hours-long search at the DoubleTree hotel on Northwest Freeway and Pinemont Drive Saturday afternoon and evening.
Inspectors found several violations, shutting the pool.
“Pool shall remain closed until all violations are corrected and pool passes reinspection,” the report reads, saying the reinspection can happen on or before April 22.
Violations included:
- Missing treads on some of the ladders
- 32-inch channel drains on the walls of the small pool did not include a document verifying the function of the drains
- Two openings on each side of the main gate leading from the hotel lobby are greater than the 4-inches allowed
- One gate and two doors open INTO the pool area and they’re supposed to open outward or away from pools and spas
- One gate was taken apart during the “drowning incident” and needs to be fixed
- No “safety features” signs posted in the pool yard and those are mandatory and have to be visible
The Houston Police Department said Jaico was first reported missing on Saturday around 5:45 p.m.
KPRC 2 Investigates’ Mario Diaz spoke with officials from the Houston Health Department and learned the pool was last inspected in June 2023.
That inspection found two doors in the poor area did not latch but were fixed that day.
The hotel also had to put an emergency device into place that day that people could easily understand how to use in case they needed to call for help.
KPRC 2 is continuing its investigation into what might have caused the child to get trapped in the pipe.
The family attorney is planning a news conference Tuesday at 11 a.m.
You’ll be able to watch that live on the KPRC 2 app and website.
This is a developing story and will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.
