Texas tragedy: Investigation continues after girl found dead in hotel pipe

Authorities in southern Texas are investigating the discovery of an 8-year-old girl's body in a pool pipe at a hotel in the Houston area after she was reported missing over the weekend.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has determined that Aliyah Jaico's death on Saturday was the result of an accidental drowning, specifying that the cause was drowning combined with mechanical asphyxia, which occurs when breathing is obstructed by an object or physical force. The official autopsy report is still forthcoming.

Authorities reported that the girl was discovered "inside a large pipe in the pool area" and was declared deceased by emergency medical technicians.

Officers were dispatched to the scene around 5:45 p.m. on Saturday following a report from the family that the child had gone missing.

A police news release detailed that homicide division investigators found the girl had been swimming with her family in a "lazy river-style swimming pool" at the hotel before her death.

According to USA Today, on Monday, Jose Daniela Jaico Ahumada, the mother of the deceased, filed a lawsuit against the hotel, claiming her daughter was drawn into an unprotected gap in the pool's circulation system, measuring between 12 inches and 16 inches in diameter.

"It was a truly horrific scene; they had to demolish concrete and saw through the piping to retrieve her," said Richard Nava, the attorney representing the girl's mother, during a press conference on Tuesday.

Authorities stated that officers are waiting for the official results of the autopsy. Members of the public with knowledge regarding the drowning incident are urged to reach out to the Houston police.

Source: ABC News, USA Today