The eight-year-old Sydney boy who was found motionless at a resort in Fiji is suspected to have died from electrocution, Fiji police have confirmed.
The boy has been identified as Cairo Winitana, who was holidaying with his family on the west coast of Fiji’s main island.
Police say the investigation is still under way and have not yet confirmed whether they have received the postmortem results, nor what may have caused the electrocution.
The child was found by another guest at the resort and was later pronounced dead at a hospital in Nadi, police said.
Cairo’s mother, Amber De Thierry, who is a New Zealand national, shared a tribute on Facebook.
“I loved you my son from the moment I found out I was carrying you and will love you forever more my beautiful beautiful blue eyes,” she wrote.
Cairo’s extended family have set up a GoFundMe page to support the cost of travel expenses and the funeral service.
“[Cairo’s parents] now have the heartbreaking job of bringing their son home from Fiji and laying him to rest at home in Australia,” a family member wrote. “We want to be able to help take a load off them both while they grieve the loss of their son.”
Cairo’s junior rugby league club, the Milperra Colts, which covers the Canterbury and Bankstown regions in south-west Sydney, have described Cairo as a “shy, tough little kid who loved his footy”.
“The Milperra Colts Family are deeply saddened at the news of the passing of Cairo Winitana who has been a member of the Colts Family since 2021,” they wrote on Facebook. “Once a Colt … Always a Colt. Rest in Love Cairo.”
A resort spokesperson said they had not yet received an official report on what caused Cairo’s death but had isolated the area of the incident so there was no further risk to guests.
“There are investigations taking place by the police and the electricity company as well,” the spokesperson said. “In terms of next steps, we have to wait and work with the local authorities on that.
“We have expressed our heartfelt condolences to the family and our thoughts remain with them at this time.”
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing assistance to the family but could not release further details due to privacy concerns.
