Repairs still underway at northwest Houston hotel pool months after Aliyah Jaico was sucked into pipe

HOUSTON – It’s been nearly three months since 8-year-old Aliyah Jaico drowned after getting stuck in a pool pipe at a northwest Houston hotel.

According to an email from the Houston Health Department (HHD) via KPRC 2 reporter Bryce Newberry, the pool remains closed but repairs have still not been completed because the pool operator has not submitted repair plans. renovation.

“The pool remains closed,” an HHD spokesperson said. “The operator has not submitted plans to renovate the swimming pool. Our department will need to review and approve the plans before the operator can even begin pool repairs.

What happened

Eight-year-old Aliyah’s body was found after first responders drained the pool March 23 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Houston Brookhollow, located at Northwest Freeway and Pinemont Drive. Investigators are now trying to determine how such a thing could have happened and who is responsible.

Jaico was swimming with other family members in a lazy river-style pool at the hotel when she became stuck in a large pipe that fed into the pool. She was reported missing around 5:45 p.m. and her body was found around 6:30 a.m. on March 24.

Family lawyer outlines wrongful death claim

Aliyah’s family’s attorney, Richard Nava, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family.

The wrongful death lawsuit names Unique Crown Hospitality LLC D/B/A DoubleTree by Hilton Houston Brookhollow and Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. as defendants.

Nava said Aliyah’s mother was nearby the entire time her daughter was swimming with other children in the family, including her 5-year-old sister. He said the mother turned her back on him for a split second and Aliyah disappeared into the water.

They believe Aliyah may have been trying to help her younger sister in the pool when she was sucked into the pipe, but they are still investigating the details.

Nava said the tragic incident could have been avoided, accusing the hotel of running a facility with numerous violations.

Along with the lawsuit, he said they will also file a temporary restraining order to gain full access to investigate the facility.

Nava said Miller would also help provide valuable information since he was on scene during the search and when her body was discovered.

A Hilton spokesperson wrote the following in an email to KPRC 2:

“Hilton extends its sincere condolences to the family and loved ones on the tragic loss of a young girl at the DoubleTree by Hilton Houston Brookhollow. This property is independently owned and operated by a third party. Hilton does not own, manage or control the day-to-day operations of the property and does not employ any of the property’s staff or its third party operators.

Tim Miller describes horrific moments when Aliyah’s body was discovered

Nava said that when the search team found the child, his body was contorted inside the pipe, near the engine, and described how police and firefighters had to break through concrete to reach his body.

Miller came to the hotel after receiving a call from the Houston Police Department about a missing child that the Houston Fire Department could not find at the hotel. He said he searched outside and inside the hotel when they couldn’t find her and thought she was somewhere else.

Hotel management did not give the family access to surveillance videos at the time of her disappearance, but once the search team and Miller reviewed the tapes, surveillance showed Aliyah that She was underwater and never shown coming out of the pool.

Miller said they had a pole with a camera on it and placed it 20 feet inside the pool pipe, where they saw Aliyah’s body trapped tightly inside.

“It was something almost unbelievable when we put that pole up there with that camera and it was just… (pause)… it was almost unbelievable. We couldn’t believe it could have happen, even at his size was the size of that pipe,” Miller said.

He said there was no way Aliyah could have swum in the pipe, explaining that her body was so far down the pipe that it was close to the motor, which stopped the pump’s suction. He said he began shutting down the pool pumps and his team began recovery efforts.

“How his body was stuck in there, actually shut off that pump, shut off that suction and there wasn’t really any suction at that point. And again, as tight as his little body was stuck there, it cut off the suction,” Miller said. “His little body was up to the pump, so he walked it a good distance.”

He said extracting the body of the pipe had been a long and tedious process and described how firefighters had to break through the concrete just to access the pipe. Aliyah’s body was finally found at 7 a.m. Sunday.

Miller said, “It was a real challenge to say the least” and explained that adult men could not have extracted her body alone.

He also reiterated that Aliyah’s mother did nothing wrong and was nearby, watching her daughter play with other children.

Malfunction of swimming pool pipes

Miller said he tried to contact the pool company the hotel uses, but did not hear back. He says he suspects a malfunction in the operation of the pipes.

He said there was another pipe next to the one Aliyah was pulled into, with a grate on it, speculating that work had been done on the pump to change that pump and that it may have been bad wired. The pump was supposed to pump water, but something went wrong. Miller said he was waiting for the investigation to get confirmed details.

Miller said during the incident, they didn’t receive much help from the hotel or pool company, saying they should have shown their family the video sooner.

Houston hotel owner says Aliyah Jaico’s mother’s ‘negligent actions’ played role in her drowning

In response to the wrongful death lawsuit involving Aliyah, Unique Crowne Hospitality, the local owner of DoubleTree by Hilton, filed a response alleging the mother’s liability in the tragedy.

Filed on April 22, UCH explicitly denies the allegations against them and emphasizes the need for “solid evidence to support the accusations.” They also claim the mother’s alleged “negligent actions” or oversights played a role in the incident.

“UCH asserts that Plaintiffs engaged in negligent acts and/or omissions that directly caused the alleged injuries and damages,” the court document states. “UCH is seeking a reduction in any damages that may be awarded to it based on the percentage of liability found by the jury with respect to the plaintiffs, the settling parties, the responsible third parties and/or any other person.”