Staffordshire Police have launched an investigation after a child was pronounced dead in woodland near Great Wyrley, with officers cordoning off a fishing lake within the Wyrley and Essington Canal Local Nature Reserve as detectives work to establish the circumstances surrounding the death.
Police have launched an investigation following the “unexplained” death of a child in woodland near a Staffordshire village. West Midlands Ambulance Service called police to land off Strawberry Lane in Great Wyrley at around 8.45am on Saturday, after responding to a report of a child in cardiac arrest. Officers and the Midlands Air Ambulance attended the scene, but the child was pronounced dead by paramedics a short time later. Staffordshire Police have not confirmed the child’s age, gender or identity, and have not said whether the child was from the local area.
What is known so far
The involvement of both the Midlands Air Ambulance and ground emergency crews indicates the initial response was treated as a potentially serious medical emergency, before the child’s death was confirmed at the scene. Officers subsequently cordoned off a fishing lake within the Wyrley and Essington Branch Canal Local Nature Reserve, an area containing woodland, canal infrastructure and fishing facilities.
In a statement, a police spokesman said: “We were called to land off Strawberry Lane, Great Wyrley, at 8.45am today by colleagues from West Midlands Ambulance Service, who were responding to a report of a child in cardiac arrest. Officers attended alongside Midlands Air Ambulance. Sadly, the child was pronounced dead by paramedics a short time later. The death is currently being treated as unexplained. Officers remain at the scene.”
What ‘unexplained’ means at this stage
It is important to note that police have not described the death as suspicious or as a suspected murder. The specific term being used, “unexplained,” indicates that investigators have not yet established how the child died. There has been no reported arrest, and police have not announced a suspect at this stage. No cause of death has been given, and any suggestion at this point that the child drowned, suffered an accident, or died as a result of another person’s actions would amount to speculation.
The scene and ongoing enquiries
Drone images from the scene showed at least four tents and camping chairs positioned close together near fishing platforms at the lake, though police have not said whether this camping equipment is connected to the child or otherwise relevant to the investigation.
Roads around the area were closed throughout Saturday as detectives continued their enquiries, with officers remaining at the scene into the evening. One witness said she had directed paramedics towards the area around the fishing lake during the initial emergency response.
Strawberry Lane runs through Great Wyrley, with the nature reserve situated close to residential areas, meaning investigators are likely to examine movements into and out of the woodland as part of establishing what happened.
What happens next
At present, there does not appear to be a confirmed breakthrough in the investigation. The latest reports continue to describe the death as unexplained, with Staffordshire Police maintaining a presence at the nature reserve while enquiries continue. The case remains at a very early stage, and the most significant development still to come will likely be police determining whether the death was accidental, medical in nature, or potentially suspicious.
