Friends of 16-year-old boy who drowned in the Thames made ‘desperate bid to rescue him after he slipped under’
Ellis Downes died after going for a swim on a warm May day, inquest hears
FRIENDS of a teenager who drowned in the River Thames during a barbecue tried to reach him before he disappeared under the water and was swept away, a coroner heard today.
The body of tragic Ellis Downes was eventually found by a team of volunteer divers on May 9, two days after he went into the water for a dip on a warm Saturday evening.
The 16-year-old, from Harwell, Oxon, disappeared in front of stunned onlookers near Culham, Abingdon, Oxon, at around 9pm on Saturday, May 7, after stripping down to his boxers and jumping in from the riverbank.
Details of the teenager's death were revealed at the inquest opening in Oxford today.
Oxfordshire Coroner Darren Salter said Ellis had met up with a group of friends by the river at about 8:20pm that night.
Mr Salter said: "Ellis got out of his clothing and entered the river in his boxer shorts.
"Two friends entered the water and were swimming to search for him but couldn't find him. Emergency services were called and an immediate search of the river was conducted, to no avail."
The teenager had been having a barbecue with his friends on the riverbank before he went swimming - a move which his sister Alex, aged 19 years, previously said was out of character as he was not a strong swimmer.
His family launched a massive manhunt to find the teen and slammed police efforts to locate him, claiming that Thames Valley Police were "useless" and under-resourced.
Ellis' body was identified by his dad on May 11, at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of death was drowning.
Ellis' father, Darren, said he was "disgusted" by the way his family was treated by police and has sinced praised the volunteer dive team which stepped in to lead the search for the youngsters body, after the police force said they would wait for the Ellis' body to "float up" to the surface.
Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Ross of Thames Valley Police released a video message apologising to the family on social media, three days after the 16-year-old's body was pulled out of the water by volunteer divers.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) confirmed yesterday that it would be investigating Thames Valley Police's response to Ellis's death.
A funeral for Ellis will be held in his home village of Harwell, Oson, next week. Guests are encouraged to wear something colourful at the service.
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