Mother of missing autistic Tennessee girl Serenity Kinsey, 7, speaks out after her body is found in a lake

The mother of a seven-year-old autistic girl found drowned in a lake on July 4 has spoken of the pain of losing her child.

Serenity Alanna Marie Kinsey, 7, was found by a dive team in Douglas Lake near Dandridge, Tennessee, just after 11 a.m., prompting her mother, Tori Carstens, to write on Facebook: “Thank you everyone for your prayers. She has passed away so please send more prayers to help my fiancé and I get through this.”

She was reported missing by her family around 5 a.m. after they realized she had left their Indian Creek Road home in the middle of the night.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an Amber Alert, but her body was found in a nearby lake about an hour later.

Carstens called on a group of local residents to take time out during their vacation and “bring my princess home.”

Serenity’s mother Tori Carstens called on a group of local residents to take time out of their vacation and ‘bring my princess home’

“My family and I have been searching all morning but we have found nothing. I am worried about her in this heat so anyone who wants to help is more than welcome,” she wrote in a local Facebook group.

Carstens explained that she is nonverbal, but “makes a loud humming sound when she wants your attention and she knows her name when it’s called.”

Many residents dropped everything and drove, some hours away, to help, but less than two hours later the search ended in tragedy.

Serenity was born on December 5, 2016 and was Carstens’ first child with her partner Joseph Lemons.

Serenity was born on December 5, 2016 and was Carstens’ first child with her partner Joseph Lemons (pictured with Serenity as a toddler)

Carstens said she and Lemons needed time to “process” their daughter’s death

The couple posted adorable photos of their daughter as she grew older, with Carstens writing about how she “changed her life.”

“Because you made me a different person, a better person. I have more respect for myself now because you and your sisters look up to me,” she wrote on her fourth birthday.

“You truly are my Serenity, my peace. I love you more than you will ever know, darling.”

On Mother’s Day 2021, Carstens wrote a heartbreaking tribute to Serenity, along with her two stepdaughters from Lemons, following the girl’s death.

“I love you guys so much and thank you for making me a mom. I don’t know what I would do without you guys. Thank you for growing up with me and trusting me enough to teach you how to be a genuine person,” she wrote.

Serenity on a carnival ride with Lemons in a photo posted by her mother

The couple posted adorable photos of their little girl as she grew older, with Carstens writing how she “changed her life”

Serenity was non-verbal, but ‘makes a loud humming sound when she wants your attention and she knows her name when it is called’

‘I will make sure you are proud every day and I will never give you a childhood that you have to recover from.

‘Remember, when the world is too loud and you are too overwhelmed, I will be your peace. I will be your advocate.

“I’ll be whatever you want me to be. I’ll never leave you or let you doubt.”

“A dive team recently found her body in a lake near her home. Our thoughts are with her family during this difficult time.”

Serenity was last seen at her home around 1 a.m., wearing black shorts and a blue T-shirt.

The young girl was described as autistic and non-verbal when authorities issued the Amber Alert.

The seven-year-old was found by a dive team in Douglas Lake near Dandridge just after 11 a.m. Thursday

She was reported missing by her family around 5 a.m. after they realized she had left their Indian Creek Road home in the middle of the night

But the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released an update about an hour later saying her body had been found.

“A dive team recently found her body in a lake near her home. Our thoughts are with her family during this difficult time,” the statement said.

Kinsey reportedly loved water and lived near the lake. No further information has been released by authorities.

DailyMail.com has contacted the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for comment.