Boy, 13, who died in river was trying to build den
SuppliedA "kind and caring" boy who beat cancer was swept to his death in a river after drinking with friends, an inquest has heard.
Mylo Capilla, 13, had gone down to an area known as the Muddies in Ingleby Barwick, Stockton, with friends to build a den on 27 June last year.
The teen then entered the River Tees after drinking a large amount of alcohol, more than three times the drink-drive limit, and got into difficulty and vanished.
A large-scale search was launched for Mylo, with police bringing in drones, divers, and a police helicopter, but the following day his body was recovered from the river.
An inquest into his death held at Teesside Coroners' Court heard how Mylo had visited his dad shortly before heading out, to tell him that he had got a new girlfriend.
His father Daniel Capilla said he was "truly one of a kind".
"Mylo was caring, kind, loyal and was loved by so many people," Capilla said in a statement read out at the hearing.
He said Mylo was "always ready to wrap you in one of his famous hugs" and he "always knew what to give and he gave it freely".
He also said that Mylo, who had cystic fibrosis and had been diagnosed with stage four cancer in 2021, which he was given the all clear for the following year, was "brave and carried on being his usual self, joking and being silly" throughout his treatment.
Their father-and-son bond was described as "one of a kind".
Capilla said he still remembered their final exchange, where Mylo gave him a hug and said "love you Papa" before he left the house.
The inquest heard how Mylo and his friends went to Tesco and One Stop before heading to the Muddies, and at 18:03 BST, he had texted a friend saying: "I may have had too much vodka."
They went down with the intention of building a den and Mylo had a bottles of vodka and gin in his bag along with some shot cups.
By 20:50 that night, concerns had been raised by parents as to their whereabouts and it was 21:09 when Cleveland Police was first informed.
Officers arrived on Ramsey Gardens, in the Round Hill area, 20 minutes later.
Det Ch Insp David Snaith said Cleveland Police launched a major response after being told Mylo, a student at All Saints CE Academy in Ingleby, had gone into the river and that his bike and phone had been found nearby.
Snaith said his friend had been found "covered in mud and slightly intoxicated" and confirmed that they had been drinking and gone into the river.
The inquest heard his friend had told police they "went into the water but could not recall how or why", describing how Mylo was holding onto a branch.
Moments later, he had vanished.
Mass search
Mylo's disappearance sparked a major emergency service response across Ingleby Barwick, including officers, paramedics, firefighters, mountain rescue teams and police divers.
Residents came out in their droves to help find the teenager, searching Round Hill and nearby areas through the night in a desperate bid to find him.
But his body was then found by diving teams downstream at 16:20 the day after his disappearance.
Toxicology tests revealed Mylo had a "very high level of alcohol in his blood" which would have caused a "significant degree of intoxication".
That might have inhibited his attempts to save himself, the inquest heard.
He was found to have a blood alcohol reading of 288mg per 100ml, which is more than three times above the drink driving limit.
Sam Hoggard, consultant Home Office pathologist, said that would be associated with factors such as confusion, dizziness, and an increased pain threshold.
There were no drugs found in his system.
Assistant coroner Paul Appleton concluded that Mylo died due to drowning at a time when he was intoxicated after consuming a significant amount of alcohol, which may have impaired his judgement and ability to self rescue.
