8-year-old boy dies after ‘guardian’ statue falls on him at luxury Arizona hotel

An 8-year-old boy is dead after a “guardian” statue toppled over and crushed him at the luxurious Arizona Biltmore hotel last week, officials said.

The child was hit by the falling concrete figure around 9 a.m. on Nov. 27 outside the hotel. He suffered a serious head injury and died a day later at an area hospital, according to Phoenix police and local reports.

The police department called the boy’s death a “tragic accident” adding that there are no signs of foul play at this time, though it is unknown why the statue fell.

His primary cause of death was complications of blunt force trauma to the head, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner told The Arizona Republic.

The young victim’s identity was not revealed.

The sculpture that fell over was one of the 19 “solemn sprite” statues that were replicas of pieces initially created by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and artist Alfonso Iannelli in 1914. The replicas were given to the Arizona Biltmore in 1980s, according to the hotel’s website.

The mythological “guardian” statues are meant to “watch over the land on which the Biltmore rests,” the website says.

The hotel, which opened in 1929, said in a statement that its “top priority” is guest safety.

“Our thoughts are with the family impacted by today’s events,” the statement said, according to KPNX.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation also expressed its heartbreak after the boy’s death.

“The news about the passing of the child at the Biltmore is truly heartbreaking,” Henry Hendrix, the foundation’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement, according to The Arizona Republic.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident, and our heartfelt condolences are with the family during this unimaginably difficult time.”