Nicola Bulley 'experts' begin search for missing boy Xielo Maruziva, 2, in River Soar

27 February 2024, 13:59 | Updated: 27 February 2024, 14:08

Nicola Bulley 'experts' have begun their desperate search of the River Soar for missing two-year-old Xielo Maruziva.

Xielo Maruziva went missing after he fell into the River Soar in Aylestone, Leicestershire on February 18 while he was out with family.

He was swept under the surface before his dad was able to jump in after him and he has not been seen since.

More than a week on, police have now recruited Peter Faulding, who helped in the search for Nicola Bulley after she went missing last year, to assist in the search for the toddler.

Mr Faulding, 61, said he had previously offered to help Leicestershire Police with the search for Xielo but had been “ignored”.

Experts from Specialist Group International (SGI) finally joined the search this week after "further conversations with search specialists and Xielo's family".

Read more: Cops recruit Nicola Bulley 'expert' diver to assist in search for boy Xielo Maruziva, 2, who fell into River Soar

Read more: 'He just disappears into the water': Police searching River Soar in Leicester for missing two-year-old find CCTV

Assistant Chief Constable Michaela Kerr said on Monday: "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 in liaison with Xielo's family and having spoken to both the company and independent specialists.

"I'd also like to remind the public that the river is dangerous and that they should not go into the water themselves. Thank you."

Mr Faulding, who has been the head of SGI since 1995, told the family that he would help in the search for free.

"The family pleaded with me to help them search," he said on Sunday.

"I said I'd do it free of charge - my team is ready to roll straight away.

"We've got the best equipment in the world, and I've got an untarnished reputation for finding 10 drowning victims per year.

"We're not some amateur team. But we've been ignored by the police.

"We've put constant requests in to help find Xielo since Wednesday - but we've heard nothing back. Or, they've said they've got enough resources.

"This isn't about police hatred - it's about finding a two-year-old boy, the same age as my own grandson."

Mr Faulding led the search for Ms Bulley when she went missing while walking her dog last year.

He claimed to have found her within six minutes, 12 days before officers discovered her body.

He was later accused in a report of causing unwarranted distress to Ms Bulley's family after he told them he believed he had identified the location of her body.

In a statement, Mr Faulding said in response: "I take confidentiality very seriously and would never breach an NDA or disclose any confidential or protectively marked material.

"The only instructions I was given was to use discretion and keep operational information confidential.

"I was never given any operational information and never disclosed any (ie: location of a significant target). If at any time I was asked to stop updating the media, I would have immediately, but no request was ever made."