EXCLUSIVE: THE EVIDENCE THAT EXPOSED WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO 13-MONTH-OLD PRESTON DAVEY

What initially appeared to be a tragic accident unraveled into a devastating criminal case after investigators pieced together medical findings, phone evidence, photographs and a disturbing pattern of injuries.

BLACKPOOL, England — When 13-month-old Preston Davey was rushed to hospital on July 27, 2023, the explanation given to doctors was that the baby had accidentally drowned in a bath.

But investigators would eventually uncover evidence that told a very different story.

The case has now resulted in convictions for the two men who were supposed to care for Preston after he was placed with them with a view to adoption.

And the evidence presented in court revealed just how much investigators had to reconstruct from Preston’s short and tragic final months.

THE BABY WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE STARTING A NEW LIFE

Preston was born on June 16, 2022.

At nine months old, he was placed with Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley as prospective adoptive parents.

Just four months later, Preston was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital unconscious and in cardiac arrest.

Doctors fought to save him, but he could not be revived.

What followed was an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the little boy’s final months — and investigators soon discovered that his story was far more disturbing than the initial account suggested.

THE “ACCIDENT” EXPLANATION

Varley told authorities that Preston had accidentally drowned in a bath.

But forensic specialists found that explanation impossible to reconcile with the medical evidence.

A post-mortem examination determined that Preston’s cause of death was acute upper-airway obstruction.

According to prosecutors, that meant he had either been smothered or something had been placed in his mouth and obstructed his airway.

The discovery transformed the investigation.

This was no longer being treated as an accidental tragedy.

THE FORENSIC EVIDENCE PAINTED A MUCH DARKER PICTURE

Preston had suffered approximately 40 separate injuries.

The injuries included bruising involving his mouth, throat, bowel and bladder.

Investigators also discovered a healing fracture to his left arm, which experts determined was non-accidental.

For prosecutors, these findings were critical.

They suggested that Preston’s injuries were not confined to one isolated incident immediately before his hospitalization.

Instead, the evidence pointed toward repeated harm during the months he was living with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley.

THEN INVESTIGATORS FOUND THE PHONE EVIDENCE

One of the most important discoveries came from digital evidence.

Prosecutors presented evidence from Varley’s phone showing instances of child cruelty.

Experts also established that Varley had taken indecent photographs and videos of Preston, with material stored on the device.

That digital evidence became another piece of a much larger evidentiary puzzle.

Medical findings documented the injuries.

The phone evidence provided investigators with material connected to what happened inside the home.

And the final post-mortem findings contradicted the explanation that Preston had simply drowned.

THE TIMELINE BECAME CRUCIAL

The prosecution’s case was not built around a single piece of evidence.

It was built around the timeline.

Preston entered the prospective adoptive placement at nine months old.

Over the next four months, prosecutors said he was repeatedly mistreated and assaulted.

He suffered a non-accidental fracture.

He sustained numerous other injuries.

Evidence of abuse was recovered from a phone.

Then, on July 27, 2023, Preston was left in Varley’s sole care for part of the day.

McGowan-Fazakerley later returned from work, and the two men took Preston to hospital.

By then, the 13-month-old was in cardiac arrest.

WHAT HAPPENED BEHIND THE ADOPTION STORY?

The adoption aspect of the case has made the tragedy particularly difficult to comprehend.

Preston had been placed with the men because they were being considered as his permanent family.

Instead, prosecutors ultimately proved that he was subjected to serious physical and sexual abuse while in their care.

That inevitably raises broader questions about safeguarding and whether warning signs were recognized quickly enough.

However, those questions should not be confused with established findings against individual social workers, medical professionals or adoption officials unless supported by evidence.

The criminal case focused on what Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley did — and what they failed to do to protect Preston.

THE JURY REACHED ITS VERDICT

In June 2026, Jamie Varley was convicted of murder, along with multiple child-cruelty and sexual offenses involving Preston.

McGowan-Fazakerley was convicted of allowing the death of a child, child cruelty and sexual assault.

The CPS said the prosecution had presented a “wealth of evidence” to establish the offenses.

The convictions brought an end to the criminal trial, but they also exposed a disturbing record of what Preston had endured during the final months of his life.

THERE WAS NO NEED FOR A MYSTERIOUS “HIDDEN CLUE”

Online posts about the case have suggested that a newly discovered secret piece of evidence or an unexplained clue from the adoption paperwork dramatically changed the investigation.

The official prosecution account does not support that characterization.

The strongest evidence already presented publicly was the combination of:

• Approximately 40 injuries
• A non-accidental healing arm fracture
• Phone evidence documenting child cruelty
• Indecent images and videos recovered from the phone
• Medical evidence contradicting accidental drowning
• Forensic evidence establishing acute upper-airway obstruction
• Convictions for Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley

Together, those pieces formed the foundation of the prosecution’s case.

PRESTON’S STORY ENDED AT JUST 13 MONTHS

The most heartbreaking fact remains the simplest.

Preston was only 13 months old.

He had spent most of his short life moving through the care system before being placed with people who were supposed to become his family.

Four months later, he was gone.

The court has now established criminal responsibility for the abuse and offenses that led to his death.

But the case continues to raise difficult questions about how vulnerable children are protected after entering prospective adoptive placements.

For Preston, there can be no second chance.

There can only be the evidence left behind — medical records, digital evidence, forensic findings and the testimony presented in court — allowing investigators and jurors to reconstruct what happened to a little boy who could never speak for himself.

Preston Davey’s final months were hidden inside a home that was supposed to be his safe place.

The evidence eventually brought what happened there into the courtroom.