An autistic child who went missing from a Florida park has been found dead after an extensive search.
Waylon Childs, four, was reported missing on Sunday just before noon from Central Park in Ormond Beach. By the end of the day, it was revealed he had drowned.
His father was at the park with him and his two other children - all under the age of five - when Waylon was last seen, according to the Ormond Beach Police Department.
The child was non-verbal, his grandparents told News 6. His father said he only looked away for a moment and then Waylon was suddenly gone.
The Ormond Beach Police Department, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Department of Law Enforcement, Volusia Sheriff’s Office and other local police departments conducted a thorough and exhaustive search.
The Volusia County Dive Team recovered Waylons body at about 9pm on the same day from the parks pond near Flemming Avenue, which is close to where he disappeared.
Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey said in a statement: This is a heartbreaking tragedy, and our hearts are with Waylon’s family during this unimaginable loss.
We would like to thank the community and all the agencies involved for their support and efforts during this search. The Ormond Beach Police Department remains committed to standing with the family and our community in the days ahead.
Waylon Childs, 4, was reported missing Sunday morning before he was found dead later in the day
The Volusia County Dive Team recovered the four-year-olds body after an extensive search
Waylon drowned in a Central Park pond in Ormond Beach, Florida. He was at the park with his father and siblings
A GoFundMe page organized to fund funeral arrangements has raised over $5,300.
Signed off by Waylons parents, Kristin Scarborough and Scott Childs, it reads: Waylon had an incredible energy that filled every room he entered.
He was always on the move, full of life and wonder, constantly exploring the world with bright eyes and a boundless curiosity. He was a little soul full of innocence and sweet affection, and his light will forever shine in our hearts.
On a community Facebook page called Whats Up Ormond, resident Aileen Mata claimed to have been riding her bike at Central Park when Waylon went missing.
She recapped the heartbreaking moment in vivid detail.
The post reads: Covered in cuts, scratches and bleeding, the primal and guttural pain could be heard as Waylons father screamed out for his little boy.
Others expressed their sympathy and empathy for Waylons family.
Being a parent of a child on the spectrum, this one hit home, one woman reacted.
Another mother chimed into the discussion, saying her mama heart is broken over this.
She wrote: This is the scariest part about autism. The eloping. What is eloping?
Its when an autistic child wanders or runs away from caregivers or a secure location. Its very common and dangerous for autistic kids.
The childs grandparents said that Waylon was autistic and non-verbal
Waylon was described as full of life and wonder by his parents in a GoFundMe post
This gut wrenching incident comes after an autistic five-year-old from Texas drowned in a retention pond after he vanished from his home in September.
The boy, last seen barefoot and in a diaper, was found by deputies of the Harris County Sheriffs Office on Sunday, in Cypress, approximately 24 miles northwest of Downtown Houston.
The child had been reported missing just before noon. Family members spotted him in the pond approximately a quarter-mile from his home.
The events leading up to the childs death remain unclear, but the boys father pulled his son out of the water.
Police performed life saving measures, but sadly the little boy could not be revived.
He was pronounced deceased at the scene, Harris County Sheriffs Office Sgt. Michael Ritchie said.
I dont foresee any charges being filed, Ritchie said. I just foresee this as a very unfortunate accident.