When mother Kim Rowlands left her daughter Kiara in the car while she popped into her family’s riverfront office in Cardigan, Wales, she could have never imagined it would be the last time she saw her two-year-old.
When Kim returned, her silver Mini that had been parked on a slipway—with her daughter inside—was missing.
As the BBC reports, it was initially feared that the car had been stolen. But, after a two-hour police search, the car was pulled from the River Teifi, with Kiara inside.
The little girl was airlifted to hospital but did not survive.
Her father, Jet Moore, explained the tragic accident on Facebook, writing: “They got in the car to go home. Sat on bankcard which snapped, and needed money to get home etc.
“Went back to the office to get money from the desk and came back to no car. Looked in the river. No signs. So we thought she and the car had been taken.”
He continued: “The police found the car a while later and went way beyond the call of duty jumping in and pulling her out. They tried to revive her for hours but unfortunately could not.”
Mother Kim says she will live with the guilt for the rest of her life and blames her “own stupidity”.
In a Facebook post that has since been deleted, she wrote: “Sadly yesterday my beautiful baby girl passed away! Due to my own stupidity, I will have to live with the guilt for the rest of my life!”
“Mummy loves you baby girl and I’m so sorry,” she signed off the post.
At the Telegraph reports, it is is not known how the car ended up in the river or how much time Kiara spent alone.
A police spokesperson told the publication: “Police have made extensive enquiries into the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident and can now confirm that we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation.”
Kiara would have turned 3 years old next week.
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