The names of the four boys who died after falling into a frozen lake in Solihull have been released by police.
Brothers Finlay and Samuel Butler and their cousin Thomas Stewart were pulled from the freezing waters of Babbs Mill Lake in the West Midlands town on Sunday December 11 and rushed to hospital alongside 10-year-old Jack Johnson. Tragically, Finlay, eight, Thomas, 11, and Jack, 10, died a short time later.
Samuel, six, lost his fight for life on Wednesday, adding to the grief felt by the local community. West Midlands Police has released images of Finlay, Samuel and Thomas, as well as tributes to the boys from their families.
Their parents have said: “As a family we are devastated at the loss of our beautiful boys Tom, Fin and Sam in such tragic circumstances. We would like to thank the emergency services for all they did in rescuing the boys and to the community for their support, it has been overwhelming.
“We would like to pass on our condolences to Jack’s family at this very sad time, and ask for privacy from the media to begin to grieve.”
Thomas’ older brother paid tribute to him and his cousin ahead of the sad news that Sam had died. In the touching message, he urged 'Tom' to keep up with his Call of Duty gaming habits until he could see him again.
He wrote: “Thomas was such a lively little soul, he had a big heart for such a young kid and he was so beautiful. He loved being outside playing with his mates.
"I love you Tom, big bro will take care of the family and I will see you soon. Make sure you keep practising on Warzone and get a win, will you?
“Can’t forget about my dinosaur man Fin, he loved dinosaurs so much and always showing me new things he built on Minecraft and all the new stuff he learnt on it. Gonna miss you little man.”
Extensive underwater searches were carried out earlier this week amid speculation that other children may have fallen in the ice. However, those have now concluded, with nothing further found.
Supt Rich Harris of WMP said: “This is a tragedy beyond words and a grief that is unimaginable for the families and friends of the boys. The support from the community has been overwhelming, not just for the bereaved families, but also for the emergency services, for which we are extremely grateful.
“Our officers will remain in the area in the coming days. Please come and speak to us if you need to.”
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