Exeter City F.C. star Jayden Wareham’s brother Hartley died earlier this month after being found in a swimming pool at a Spanish villa
Credit: Exeter City Football Club Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- Soccer star Jayden Wareham’s 2-year-old brother Hartley died after being found unresponsive in a pool while on vacation in Spain
- Exeter City F.C. shared condolences and is supporting Jayden as the family raises funds for a memorial bench
- Jayden became a father just weeks before Hartley’s death
The toddler brother of an English soccer star has died after being found unresponsive in a pool while on vacation.
According to the BBC and Devon Live, 2-year-old Hartley Wareham died on July 3, four days after he was found in the swimming pool of a villa in Spain where family and friends were staying.
At a hearing into Hartley’s death on July 22, the court was told that his father pulled him out of the water and began CPR, before his mother took over and neighbors called for an ambulance, per the outlets.
First responders were able to restore the toddler’s heartbeat and he was transported to the hospital on June 29, however, his condition deteriorated.
Devon Live reported that Hartley is the brother of Exeter City F.C. star Jayden Wareham.
Credit: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK/Shutterstock
At the hearing, coroner Alison Longhorn said Hartley’s cause of death included immersion in water, sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome, per the BBC.
In a post on Facebook on July 8, Exeter City F.C. — who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English soccer — shared their “sincere condolences to the Wareham family following a devastating family bereavement.”
“Our thoughts are with all of their family and friends,” the post continued. “We will be supporting Jayden through this very difficult time. The club requests that the privacy of Jayden and his family is respected at this time.”
The club later shared a JustGiving fundraiser set up by Hartley’s father Darren to raise money for a memorial bench in tribute to Hartley.
The bench is to have a Hey Duggee theme in honor of Hartley’s favorite animated TV show.
“Our beautiful little boy, Hartley, sadly passed away at just 2 years old. In his short life, he filled our world with more love, laughter and happiness than we ever thought possible,” a description on the page reads.
“Hartley’s absolute favourite thing in the world was Hey Duggee, and his favourite place to be was always out in our garden, exploring, playing and smiling. To honor his memory, we are creating a bespoke Hey Duggee memorial bench that will sit proudly in the garden he loved so much,” it continues. “It will be a special place where we can sit close to him, remember the wonderful moments we shared, and find a little comfort on the days when missing him feels overwhelming.”
The description added that any money leftover from the fundraising will be put towards counselling for family members “to try and move forward together.”
“Forever loved. Forever missed. Forever our little boy,” it concluded.
At the time of publication, the fundraiser has raised over $4,700 of a $6,680 goal.
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According to a post on Jayden’s Instagram, the soccer star, who plays as a forward, became a dad just over a month before his brother’s death.
“Jace 6/6/26 🩵 The day we met our little boy. Love you son 🩵,” he captioned a series of black-and-white hospital snaps.
The hearing into Hartley’s death has been postponed to a later date, per the BBC.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Devon Area Coroner for comment.
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