The village pond where a two-year-old girl died was searched by specialist police divers
Officers from Hampshire Police’s Marine Unit were seen combing Kingsley Pool where two-year-old Annabelle McKee was found unconscious on Sunday after she went missing.
A police underwater search team armed with metal detectors and sonar today searched the village pond where little Annabelle McKee was discovered.
Police were called to the girl’s family home in Kingsley, Hampshire, on Sunday after reports she had gone missing and she was later found unconscious in Kingsley Pond. The two-year-old girl was taken to hospital where she died on Monday. An update from Hampshire Police said a woman arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a child has been released from custody but remains under investigation. Today, three officers were seen crawling on their hands and knees through the pond water as they searched for evidence.
To assist in the search, Hampshire Police’s marine unit used a large inflatable raft to clear the water, as well as a metal detector and sonar. Officers were later seen pulling onto the plane several items that were placed in evidence bags. The search took place near where several people had laid flowers in honor of the young man’s memory.
Previously, a neighbor said of the family: “It’s absolutely terrible. We’ve met her, and we always say hi. Wonderful, she was a beautiful little girl. Her mother was with her most of the time. We used to regularly see her and Annabelle walking around here. My mother always held her hand. Often they would walk in the Kumaon area because it is a beautiful place to walk.
Another neighbor added: “We’re really upset. Annabelle was very quiet and shy. Whenever we saw her in the village, she didn’t really talk, she would smile at us a little. She was a nice little girl.”
A police force spokesman said: “A woman arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a child found on Kingsley Pond has been released, but remains under investigation. She has been detained under the Mental Health Act. Police were called at 5.02pm on Sunday 10 September to a report of a two-year-old girl missing from her home in Forge Road, Kingsley, Bordon. She was found a short time later at Kingsley Pond. She was taken to hospital in serious condition but sadly died on the afternoon of Monday 11 September. “The investigation is ongoing.”
