A seven-year-old autistic girl who went missing while in the care of a childminder was found unresponsive in a pond on a golf course north of Doncaster and later died, an inquest has heard.
Nyla May Bradshaw, who was non-verbal and had a diagnosis of autism, was pulled from a pond on Owston Golf Course in South Yorkshire. She was rushed to Doncaster Royal Infirmary but could not be resuscitated, the inquest was told.
Coroner's officer Jane McDonnell told Doncaster Coroner's Court that Nyla had been taken to a park in the Owston area by her childminder. During the outing, she passed through a gap in a fence and approached woodland close to the golf course. The childminder raised the alarm with police and Nyla's family, and a search involving drones and a helicopter was launched.
Tragically, Nyla was found face down and unresponsive in the pond. Senior coroner Nicola Mundy fixed a provisional inquest date for December 8. No cause of death was given during the five-minute hearing.
Children's autism charity Little Rainbows Doncaster paid tribute to Nyla, describing her as a "beautiful, deeply loved seven-year-old girl who brought so much light to those around her." The charity highlighted that this tragedy reflects a fear many parents of autistic children carry daily and raised concerns about the safety of care provision for disabled children outside school settings.
An online tribute page has raised more than £20,000 to support Nyla's family with funeral costs. The charity called for systemic changes, saying, "That must never happen to another family again."
