The little boy who was caught on security footage wandering away from his Maryland home after being reported missing was met with a nightmare outcome.
Miles McMahon, 5, who was autistic and non-verbal, went missing from his home in Waldorf, Maryland, on Sunday morning when his family reported his absence.
But a desperate search by law enforcement led to the discovery of the boys body floating in a pond only a short distance away from the safety of his own home.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Miles McMahon, 5, was reported missing on Sunday which led to an extensive search where his body was then discovered floating in a pond only a short distance away from his Maryland home
After dive teams conducted a second search of a nearby pond, they discovered the young boys body floating where they declared him dead at the scene
Family members called 911 after they were unable to find Miles while searching around the area of their home in the Bannister neighborhood.
Home security footage showed the child in a red t-shirt, leaving the house and skipping in his front yard with no pants or shoes, according to a Charles County Sheriffs Office press release on Sunday.
Officers arrived to the home in the 1000 block of St. Pauls Drive at around 11am, where they established a perimeter and immediately focused their attention on ponds and bodies of water nearby.
The search was extensive - search teams, drones, police, dive teams and dogs were deployed to the area where he was last seen, The Independent reported.
Police K9 and bloodhounds also responded to the scene along with the sheriffs office Search Management Team which utilizes specialized apps for tracking purposes.
In the press release, locals were asked to steer clear of the search area, which was being conducted primarily in the area of St. Pauls Drive and Piney Church Road. Residents were asked to stay on sidewalks where its possible and keep out of other yards.
Miles, who was autistic and non-verbal, was reported missing to authorities Sunday morning after family members failed to locate him in their own initial search
The Charles County Sheriffs Office conducted an extensive search, primarily in ponds and bodies of water nearby, which included dive teams and K9 units
The sheriffs office also urged neighbors to search their own yard, pool, sheds, shrubs, trees and other small hiding places that the child could have gotten into.
Those with home security cameras were urged to contact the department if the recorded footage had anything of value that could help aid in the desperate search.
During the search, the Charles County Sheriffs Office updated concerned residents on their Facebook, saying: Miles could be hiding or be afraid of the commotion. For people living in the area, please turn on your porch lights and backyard lights.
For those searching outside the perimeter, please be cautious and call 911 with relative info. We have an amazing community and its clear everyone cares so much.
Despite searching a pond nearby his home with no luck, the Maryland State Police Dive Team and the Department of Natural Resources Police returned that same evening to check the pond again.
During the secondary search, Miles was found just after midnight.
After hours of searching for Miles McMahon, age 5, unfortunately, he was located in a pond, not too far from his house a short time ago and was deceased, an update from the sheriffs office on Facebook said on Monday.
They shared an additional update Monday evening, which said: By now, many of you are aware of the tragic loss of Miles McMahon. The outpouring of care, concern, prayers and love for Miles family, as well as all of the many, many first responders who worked tirelessly to find Miles meant so much.
The display of community, and the many ways people came together to offer help shows the compassion of Charles County. These incidents are very hard for first responders, but the grace and care you showed to our teams was truly a source of strength.
Now, all of our hearts are with the McMahon family as they endure this unimaginable loss and overwhelming grief.
Miles was last seen on home security footage wearing only a red t-shirt as he skipped in the front yard and wandered away from his home
Miles is the second autistic child who died by drowning since this summer - and is the leading cause of death for children who wander away with the disability
Ashley Ulrich, a mother whose daughter attends elementary school with Miles, told NBC: I tossed and turned last night, just praying for a better outcome. But when I saw the news around one oclock this morning, the least I could is come and pay my respects.
Neighbors left flowers, balloons, and teddy bears at the pond where he was found, in a show their support for the family.
Miles is the second child to drown in the area since the summer.
In late July, another child who was also autistic and nonverbal was reported missing after attending a community picnic at Bohrer Park, in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
The body of 6-year-old Fawzan Hassan was discovered in the pond by a group of volunteers, who then alerted police, WTOP News reported.
The pond which was less than 50 yards away from the playground where he was last seen.
In a six year study, it was found that just about half [49 percent] of children with autism attempted to wander away from a safe environment, which is four times higher than their unaffected siblings, according to National Autism Association.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for those children who do successfully wander away.
In a six-year study, it was found that accidental drowning accounted for 71 percent of deaths among autistic children.
Children with autism are 160 times as likely to die from drowning as the general pediatric population.