A five-year-old autistic boy, last seen barefoot and wearing a diaper when he disappeared from his Texas home, has been found dead.
The boy, whose name has not been released, was found Sunday by Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies in a retention pond in Cypress, about 24 miles (38 kilometers) northwest of downtown Houston.
The child was reported missing just before noon by family members who saw him in the pond about a quarter mile from his home at 20500 Keegans Ledge Lane.
The events leading up to the child’s death are still unclear, but the boy’s father pulled his son from the water, ABC13 News reported.
A 5-year-old child with autism was found dead in a retention pond near his home on Sunday
The police took life-saving measures, but unfortunately the boy could not be resuscitated.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, said Sgt. Michael Ritchie of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
“I don’t anticipate any charges being filed,” Ritchie said. “I foresee this being a very unfortunate accident.”
According to the sergeant, the child must have walked at least a quarter mile from his home to the retention pond.
He was reported to be barefoot and wearing a diaper and a T-shirt.
“We’re trying to get a time when this happened. We’re looking at the video. There have been no calls from the department about a child walking alone,” he said.
Part of their investigation includes visiting the house where the boy lived to see what security measures were taken.
Police cars lined up at the pond on Sunday afternoon
Officers from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office were on scene
Sgt. Ritchie, who has unfortunately seen this tragedy happen too many times in his career, explained that autistic children are more likely to wander off and are drawn to water.
According to the news outlet, he recommended using GPS tracking systems and that children carry some form of identification.
Nikko Jones, who lives nearby and has a daughter like the victim, was shocked when she heard the news from police.
“It’s horrible,” Jones told the news outlet. “I’m sympathetic to the situation right now, even though it’s not my child.”
DailyMail.com contacted the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.