Brothers, 6 and 8, and cousin, 11, killed alongside hero friend, 10, in frozen lake tragedy as families pay tribute
15 December 2022, 13:55 | Updated: 15 December 2022, 20:28
The four boys who died after falling through a frozen lake in Solihull have been named as Thomas Stewart, 11, Jack Johnson, 10, Finlay Butler, eight, and Samuel Butler, six.
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Brothers Finlay and Samuel Butler and their cousin Thomas Stewart were taken out of the freezing water and rushed to hospital, but Finlay and Thomas died a short time later.
Ten-year-old Jack Johnson also died after trying to save the other boys on Sunday. Samuel passed away yesterday.
The boys' parents 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 before Samuel died. He said: "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 [video game] 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."
Superintendent Rich Harris, of West Midlands Police, 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."
One of the boy's fathers, a student police officer, and a dog walker had entered the water in an attempt to save the children.
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An official fundraiser has now been set up for the families of the four boys, which has raised over £17,000.
It is backed by the families involved, and a number of relatives have shared it online.
The page bio pays tribute to the 'four Little Princes', and adding: 'No parent expects to lose their children so young, and sadly, no amount of money would ever place them back in our arms, but with our help, we can hopefully ease the worry of the financial costs they will need to meet.'
There was a candlelit vigil for the boys on Monday night, with a second taking place this Saturday at 4pm.
Emergency services were first called to the scene at 2.36pm on Sunday, where it was reported that four children had been playing on the ice and fallen through into the lake.
Police officers and members of the public initially got into the water tried to get the children out, before the youngsters were reached by specialist firefighters trained for water rescue who got the group to safety.
Those pulled out of the lake were given immediate life support and rushed to two hospitals; Birmingham Children's and Heartlands.
All of them arrived in critical condition.
West Midlands Police confirmed the death of the youngest victim last night.
The force said in a statement: "It is with heartfelt sadness we have to report this afternoon, the six-year-old in hospital has lost his fight for life.
"Our deepest sympathies are with the families and friends of those involved in this tragedy. We cannot comprehend the enormity of the pain they must feel and our hearts go out to them.
"Specialist officers remain in contact with the family and we will issue further information as soon as we can."
The police have completed their searches and on Wednesday the cordon at the site was lifted.
You can find the fundraiser for the families here.
