Woman detained under Mental Health Act after arrest for ‘murder’ of little Annabel Mackey, 2, found floating in pond
A WOMAN has been detained under the Mental Health Act after she was arrested for the alleged murder of two-year-old Annabel Mackey.
Little Annabel was tragically discovered “unresponsive” in Kingsley Pond near Bordon in Hampshire minutes after she was reported missing on Sunday.
Cops had been called to the tot's house in Forge Road at around 5.02pm that day.
An urgent hunt to find the little girl was then launched.
She was found in Kingsley Pond soon after - just 200m from her home.
Now a woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder and detained under the Mental Health Act.
Read More UK News
Hampshire Police said: "A woman arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a child who was found at Kingsley Pond, has been released from custody but remains under investigation.
"She has been detained under the Mental Health Act.
"Police were called at 5.02pm on Sunday, 10 September to a report of a two-year-old girl who had gone missing from her home on Forge Road, Kingsley, Bordon.
"She was found a short time later in Kingsley Pond.
Most read in The Sun
";She was taken to hospital in a serious condition but sadly died on the afternoon of Monday, 11 September.
"The investigation is ongoing."
Police were called at 5pm after reports Annabel had disappeared and began an urgent search.
One villager said they heard an adult voice at the pond at around the time of the tragedy shouting: “Help me, help me.”
They said the tot was wrapped in blankets, put into the back of an ambulance and rushed to hospital.
A family friend said: “We’re really upset. Annabel was very, very quiet.
“Whenever we saw her in the village, she gave us little smiles. She was a sweet little girl — very, very quiet and shy. Timid I’d say.”
TRAGIC DEATH
Specialist officers from Hampshire Constabulary’s Marine Unit carried out an underwater search as part of the force’s ongoing murder investigation.
Three marine officers were seen crawling on their hands and knees in the water, meticulously scouring the shallow pond floor for evidence.
The specific area of Kingsley Pond the officers searched - where it is believed little Annabel was found - appeared to be little more than 1ft deep.
They used a 25ft inflatable raft on the corner of the pond as a makeshift pontoon.
Officers dressed in bright orange dry suits boarded that to scour the bottom of the pond using specialist equipment.
A metal detector was used to sweep the bottom of the pond and officers could be seen putting unidentified items into an evidence bag.
Before the dive at Kingsley Pond, a hi-tech robot was deployed in the water to examine the bottom of the pond using sonar.
The device was in the water for 30 minutes while officers stood by the side of the pond using controls to direct it around the pond.
A police drone was also flown above the water.
A local told The Sun: “The first we knew of it was when the police car pulled up. Within 20 minutes, the place was flooded.
“The whole place was cordoned off and we were asked by CID if we had any footage on our camera — which we do.
“But there was nothing on there. We can’t see the little one. It’s absolutely terrible.
“We’ve met her. At Halloween, we get a lot of decorations around the house for our little one and she used to come in and look. She was gorgeous — a beautiful little girl."
Charmayne Dennard visited the pond to lay flowers.
Throwing sunflowers into the water she said: "It's just so heartbreaking, I had to come and pay my respects.
"That poor, poor little girl. You can't imagine the pain her family must be going through.
"The unknown is so scary, It's frightening to think of what happened."
Witnesses told they arrived home to see the area cordoned off and the youngster "floating" in the water.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
One resident said: “Everyone is just hoping for the best but it’s very strange.
"There are houses that back onto the pond and the common but the terrain is thick and it would be difficult for a toddler to make it that far.”
