Missing Kaliyah Coa: Body found in search for missing 11-year-old schoolgirl

The family of 11-year-old Kaliyah Coa, who went missing in the Thames on March 31, have been told that a body has been found in the river, the Metropolitan Police said. Kaliyah, who had been playing during a school inset day, entered the water near Barge House Causeway, close to London City Airport, in east London on Monday, March 31.

service crews attended the scene within minutes of the call at around 1.23pm, and conducted a massive urgent search in a desperate bid to find the 11-year-old.

The Metropolitan Police said her family has been told that a body was found in the river on Sunday morning. A police statement today said: “The Met was alerted to a body in the River Thames in Maritime Quay, E14 on Sunday April 13 at 9.03am.

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“The body is yet to be formally identified. However, the family of Kaliyah Coa have been informed of this development and are being supported by specialist officers.”

Kaliyah’s family ask that privacy is respected at this time, the force added. A recovery mission was launched to find Kaliyah along the Thames, with the Met saying in an earlier statement that officers were "leading an extensive examination of the area".

Barge House Causeway is a concrete slope that goes directly into the River Thames and is used to transport boats. The Met Police released her name and photo at the start of the month.

Police were pictured at the scene in east London peering into the dark waters of the Thames as they combed through the river and its banks, with some members of the public also seen gathering on land and laying flowers near where Kaliyah went into the water.

At the time, residents pointed out that it appeared to be covered in moss and is slippery. Kerry Benadjaoud, 62, said Kaliyah was “paddling” in the water and “must have slipped”.

Ms Benadjaoud told how she found items including shoes, a sock, a coat and a phone, close to the river, which she gave police. She said a boy at the scene told her: “The little boy turned around and said 'I tried to hold her hand but it slipped'.

"I said to the little boy's parents, obviously he needs to see someone because it's going to affect him later. Apparently she was paddling, so her socks and shoes were off, her coat, then she must have slipped and gone down.”

Shaleen Rajaendram, 59, who lives on Barge House Road which leads onto the causeway, said: "I heard upstairs a guy was screaming 'wait there, wait, the police is coming'."

The man was standing on a balcony in a flat block overlooking the river and later told Ms Rajaendram he had been alerted by the children "shouting, screaming", she said.

Ms Rajaendram continued: "Then I saw suddenly two kids were coming out to the top of the bridge, I said 'what happened?' Then they said 'one of my friends was playing in the water, one of my friends has gone into water and she's gone underneath and we can't find her'."

Ms Benadjaoud said the boy who had been with the girl was around eight or nine years old. She said: "The little boy turned around and said 'I tried to hold her hand but it slipped'. I said to the little boy's parents, obviously he needs to see someone because it's going to affect him later".