Private diving team joins search for missing Leicester boy

Expert divers from a private company will join the search for a missing two-year-old boy after he fell into a river in Leicester, police said.

Xielo Maruziva fell into the River Soar, in the Aylestone area, at about 17:00 GMT on 18 February.

A police search to find him, involving specialist teams, is now in its second week.

The search area has been widened and a private diving company is providing police with support from Tuesday.

In an updated statement on Monday, Leicestershire Police said Specialist Group International (SGI) is involved after “liaison with Xielo’s family and having spoken to both the company and independent specialists”.

The same company assisted Lancashire Police when Nicola Bulley vanished on a riverside dog walk in St Michael’s on Wyre on 27 January last year.

Now Leicestershire Police is using the company’s expertise after consultation with search specialists and Xielo’s family.

Assistant Chief Constable Michaela Kerr said: “We continue to be grateful to the support we’ve been shown by the public and colleagues from other forces and agencies.

“We’re in regular contact with Xielo’s family and are continuing to support them in what remains a very upsetting time.

“Our search operation to locate Xielo continues to widen – as we know he may have travelled further from where he went into the water – and potentially outside our force area.

“I would like to reassure you that our operation is continuing and our teams will be carrying out co-ordinated searches at various points along the river. Our decision to involve SGI in the search is in liaison with Xielo’s family and having spoken to both the company and independent specialists.”

Over the weekend police issued a warning to members of the public to stay out of the water after reports of people in kayaks in the area.