A 2-year-old girl, Eva-Rose Wainwright, was discovered lifeless in a river in Lifton, Devon, after her father inadvertently left her to play by the water while he attended to his work nearby. Tragically, upon his return approximately 15 to 20 minutes later, he found her face down in the stream. Despite immediate medical attention, Eva-Rose was pronounced dead shortly after.

During an inquest in Exeter on June 16, 2023, Coroner Alison Longhorn described the incident as a heartbreaking loss of a young child, emphasizing the risks that unsupervised children face near even shallow water bodies.

The coroner ruled the death as accidental, detailing that Eva-Rose had been with her father, Charles Wainwright, at a property in Lifton. He had taken her along to the river, where she was left playing under his supervision. Mr. Wainwright mentioned that he intermittently checked on Eva-Rose before finding her submerged in the water. Despite his efforts to revive her, she did not recover.

Emergency services were called, and despite some initial difficulty locating them, paramedics arrived on the scene. Eva-Rose was declared deceased after resuscitation attempts. A post-mortem examination revealed that she was a healthy child and the cause of death was drowning. Additionally, a minor bruise was found on her forehead, although it was determined that this injury did not contribute to her passing but might have caused disorientation prior to the tragic incident.

Following a police investigation that found no foul play, no charges were filed, affirming that the incident was a devastating accident. An online obituary highlighted how cherished Eva-Rose was to her family and friends, expressing deep sorrow over her premature departure.

Statistics from the National Water Safety Forum indicate that approximately 400 individuals drown annually in the UK.