A child died after a statue fell on him at a luxury Phoenix resort during Thanksgiving week, officials have said.Phoenix police said a day later there were no signs of foul play in the incident, which has drawn national attention and grief at the death of an 8-year-old boy. The tragic event occurred at the Arizona Biltmore, a historic and opulent resort that over the course of nearly a century has drawn high-profile celebrities, presidents and locals alike.The investigation was said to be ongoing, though authorities have released scant information in the days since and did not immediately respond to requests Wednesday. Here’s what information has been released by Phoenix authorities so far.When did the incident take place?Phoenix fire and police responded just before 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27. The departments had received reports of an injured child.Fire Capt. Todd Keller said at that time that part of a concrete statue fell on the child, and the child was in extremely critical condition. Officials said the boy died a day later — on Thanksgiving — from his injuries.The primary cause of death was complications of blunt force trauma to the head, according to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office.What do we know about what happened?It is unknown what caused the statue to fall and whether the child was with a parent or guardian. The statue appeared to be a sprite, a depiction of a mythical being that serves as a guardian over the land. According to the Arizona Biltmore website, the property has 19 sprite statues.What is a Biltmore sprite?The designs of the sprites were inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Midway Garden project from 1913 to 1914, but the statues at the Biltmore were replicas, according to Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Chief Marketing Officer Henry Hendrix. The foundation preserves and educates about Wright’s work.Hendrix said the sprites at the Biltmore were created in the mid-1980s and gifted to the hotel in 1988.”The news about the passing of the child at the Biltmore is truly heartbreaking. We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident, and our heartfelt condolences are with the family during this unimaginably difficult time,” Hendrix said.What is the Arizona Biltmore?The Biltmore opened its doors in 1929, albeit a much smaller resort at the time and one that lacked air conditioning for its first several decades. It became a winter destination for sun-seeking celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Fred Astaire, and every president from Herbert Hoover in the 1930s to George W. Bush visited the desert landmark.Among Arizona’s political class, it remains a go-to spot for campaign parties, and sometimes, concession speeches. The late U.S. Sen. John McCain conceded the 2008 presidential race to Democrat Barack Obama there.The resort near Missouri Avenue and 24th Street has grown in the past 95 years and retains its original Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced design. The original hotel was designed by Wright protégé Albert Chase McArthur.Who owns the Biltmore now?The resort has recently seen several corporate and foreign owners, who have made hundreds of millions of dollars in improvements.Henderson Park, a London-based private equity real es …
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