An inquest has ruled that a two-year-old girl accidentally drowned in a garden pond on Christmas Day after disappearing for a matter of minutes. Isobel Abigail Maxwell had been celebrating the holiday with her extended family at her parents' home in Doncaster when she entered the garden and fell into the pond.
According to evidence presented at Doncaster Coroner's Court, no one witnessed Isobel go outside, and it was unclear which of the three doors she might have used. Coroner Louise Slater noted that family dogs were let into the garden at one point, and it appeared a door was inadvertently left open.
The family had moved into the house nine months prior, with aspirations of it being their permanent home. Isobel had been playing with toys and had accidentally knocked over a wax burner shortly before she went missing. Her mother attempted to locate her to reassure her about the incident with the burner before the child was discovered minutes later.
Mr. Maxwell and Ms. Wallace had planned to fill in the pond during the summer and had erected a temporary fence, though it did not fully encircle the water. In a statement read at the inquest, Ms. Wallace described Isobel as a healthy child and a “little adventurer” who was always on the move.
There were 14 people at the house on Christmas Day, and dinner had concluded around 2:30 p.m. Isobel had been moving between rooms, opening presents, and playing games. Ms. Wallace recounted cleaning up the knocked-over wax burner and then going to find Isobel to tell her it was okay and to be careful. When she could not find her daughter inside, she went into the garden, followed by Mr. Maxwell.
During their search, Ms. Wallace stated she heard Mr. Maxwell scream and saw him holding Isobel. She recalled dropping to her knees and not knowing which door Isobel had exited through. "It was a matter of five minutes she was missing," she said.
Ms. Wallace, who was pregnant at the time, began CPR until paramedics arrived and took over. She expressed disbelief, stating that Isobel had never shown interest in the pond before and was always supervised when in the garden.
Mr. Maxwell described using his phone as a flashlight due to the garden’s darkness and seeing Isobel's dress before jumping into the pond to retrieve her. He recalled being in a state of shock and unable to remember her position in the water. He then left to search for a defibrillator when he saw paramedics arrive and felt helpless as he followed them into the house.
Efforts to resuscitate Isobel were unsuccessful. She was pronounced dead at Doncaster Royal Infirmary at 5:55 p.m. Detective Constable Danielle Duncan-Blakely of South Yorkshire Police confirmed that the investigation found no suspicious circumstances. The coroner, Louise Slater, recorded a conclusion of accidental death and offered heartfelt condolences to the family for their tragic loss.