Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal News Michael Horton A management company involved in the death of Aliyah Jaico has responded denying responsibility in the 8-year-old’s death The incident occurred late in the afternoon on March 23 when Jaico was swimming in the lazy river at the DoubleTree by Hilton with other family members the girl was sucked into an unsecured open gap in the pool’s flow system her body was discovered wedged into the pool’s pipes Jaico’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners and local management companies affiliated with the hotel and the family is seeking over $1 million in damages In a legal response to the family’s lawsuit LLC claimed that the parents were responsible for what occurred “Northwest asserts that Plaintiffs engaged in negligent acts and/or omissions that proximately caused the alleged injuries and damages,” the court document reads The court document mirrors a response from Unique Crowne Hospitality UCH’s response featured the same exact quotation but with their name inserted rather than Northwest’s The second response to the Jaicos’ lawsuit comes just days after reports surfaced that the pool remained closed and had still not been fixed in the nearly three months following Aliyah’s death. Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved Michael is a Kingwood native who loves visiting local restaurants and overreacting to Houston sports He joined the KPRC 2 family in the spring of 2024 from Texas A&M University in 2022 and his M.A from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023 TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us Meet the Team Careers at KPRC Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications Copyright © 2025 Click2Houston.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal News Holly Galvan Posey Bryce Newberry In response to the wrongful death lawsuit involving Aliyah Jaico, Unique Crowne Hospitality, the local owner of DoubleTree by Hilton has filed a response alleging the mother’s responsibility for the tragedy PREVIOUS: 8-year-old Texas girl was ‘violently sucked’ into hotel swimming pool UCH explicitly denies the claims made against them and emphasizes the need for “stringent evidence to support the accusations.” They also claim that the mother’s alleged “negligent actions” or oversights played a role in the incident “UCH asserts that Plaintiffs engaged in negligent acts and/or omissions that proximately caused the alleged injuries and damages,” the court document reads “UCH seeks a reduction of any damages that may be awarded against it by the percentage of responsibility found by the jury as to Plaintiffs Jaico was swimming with other family members in a lazy river-style pool at the hotel when the 8-year-old somehow got stuck inside a large pipe that feeds into the pool The medical examiner said her death was caused by drowning and mechanical asphyxiation MORE: 8-year-old Houston girl ‘violently sucked’ into hotel swimming pool pipe drowned and suffered mechanical asphyxiation The lawsuit filed by Aliyah Jaico’s family accuses the hotel of gross negligence stating the family’s attempts to view security footage were denied by management Jaico’s body was recovered over 12 hours after she disappeared “Given the sensitive nature of this case it is unfortunate that Hilton and the Franchisee are alleging contribution,” attorney Richard Nava tells KPRC 2 “My client is distraught and this only deepens her suffering We look forward to our day in court and it will be shown exactly how easily this could’ve been prevented and Aliyah would still be with us.” The Jaico family lawsuit names DoubleTree by Hilton Houston Brookhollow and Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc It alleges Jaico’s family tried to get hotel management to look at the security camera video around 30 minutes after she disappeared but management denied their request and said law enforcement had to be present to view the video surveillance RELATED: ‘The worst day:’ Family’s attorney speaks as Aliyah Jaico laid to rest Rescuers had to use heavy machinery to break through tile and dirt and eventually recovered Jaico’s body around 6:30 a.m., more than 12 hours after she disappeared. According to a report from the City of Houston’s Health Department the pool was not in compliance with federal laws meant to prevent drain entrapment and child drowning in swimming pools The lawsuit alleges gross negligence on the part of the hotel which led to the death of Jaico The family is seeking over $1 million in damages MORE: ‘Not approved to open:’ Lazy river pumps, pipes at hotel pool where girl died weren’t approved or inspected by city Stay informed with KPRC 2's Breaking News Alerts Holly joined the KPRC 2 digital team in March 2024 leveraging her eight years of expertise in blogging and digital content to share her passion for Houston she enjoys exploring the city's vibrant scenes all while balancing her roles as a wife and mother to two toddlers He loves the thrill of breaking news and digging deep on a story that gets people talking