UK News
Four children who died after falling through frozen lake named – including two brothers
An absolutely heartbreaking national story.
Daisy Jackson -
15th December 2022 
The four children who died after falling through the ice of a frozen lake this week have all been named by police.
The tragic incident saw brothers Finlay and Samuel Butler, their cousin Thomas Stewart, and Jack Johnson all rushed to hospital in a state of cardiac arrest.
Eight-year-old Finlay and 11-year-old Thomas died shortly afterwards, and 10-year-old Jack Johnson died the same day.
Six-year-old Samuel lost his fight on Wednesday 14 December.
The families of the three children who fell into Babbs Mill Lake in Solihull have released pictures of their ‘beautiful boys’ and issued a heartbreaking tribute through police.
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. 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.”
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Extensive underwater searches were carried out and have now concluded.
Supt Rich Harris 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.”
Featured image: West Midlands Police
