TAMPA, Fla. – A search for a missing 5-year-old autistic boy ended in tragedy Friday after deputies recovered his body from a retention pond behind his apartment complex in Northdale.
The investigation began after the child’s father woke up at 9:00 a.m. and discovered his son was not in bed. After searching the residence, the father called the child’s grandmother—an elementary school teacher who lives with them—to check if the boy was with her. When she confirmed he was not, the father called authorities at approximately 9:30 a.m.
More than 140 personnel from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene, including aviation units, drones, K9 handlers, and dive teams.
A bloodhound deployed for search and rescue tracked a scent to a retention pond located about 30 feet behind the apartment building.
“At that point, he notifies the dive team to start here,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “Moments later, the dive team member that entered the water entered into about five feet or about waist high water. Felt what he believed to be the five-year-old child and… we ended up recovering a deceased five-year-old child.”
The victim had recently celebrated his fifth birthday.
Sheriff Chronister noted that this marks the second time in less than two months that a five-year-old autistic child has drowned in a retention pond at this specific apartment complex. The previous incident involved a different retention pond at the rear of the property.
Following the recovery, Sheriff Chronister spoke with the child’s family and shared a message from the grandmother urging parents to enroll children in swimming lessons regardless of age or special needs.
“We know scientifically proven that autistic children are prone and attracted to bodies of water,” Chronister stated.
When asked by reporters whether local laws require fencing around retention ponds, Chronister stated he was unaware of any such regulations, noting that physical barriers could interfere with the drainage design required to prevent street flooding.
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