Lionel Cervantes' heartbroken mother shares scathing statement after her son drowned while running away from Bells Crossing school: 'My boy did not have to die this way'

The grieving mother of an autistic South Carolina boy who passed away after running away from school shared a scathing indictment of officials after his tragic death. 

Dalia Cervantes, the mother of eight-year-old Lionel who was found Thursday in a creek near Bells Crossing Elementary School in Simpsonville, took to social media to share the devastating news hours after he was discovered. 

I know he is in a better place, she said. But my boy did not have to lose his life this way. Negligence caused his death. 

Staff at the school say they chased after Lionel when he fled from a playground on Thursday morning, but he disappeared before they could catch him, and he was found hours later. 

Lionel Cervantes, 8, ran away from his South Carolina school on Thursday (pictured in surveillance footage as he fled), hours before his body was tragically found in a nearby creek 

Dalia Cervantes, the mother of eight-year-old Lionel (pictured together), shared a scathing indictment of officials after his tragic death 

Cervantes, who according to officials was autistic and somewhat nonverbal, was last seen near the schools playground before dive crews found him a quarter mile away 

The Greenville County Sheriffs Office did not immediately indicate if they plan to pursue any charges as they announced the discovery of Lionels body. 

Authorities had launched a huge multi-agency search, including the FBI and SLED teams as well as a wave of volunteers, for the boy before he was found by divers in a creek about a quarter of a mile from his school. 

At a press conference, Sheriff Hobart Lewis described the childs passing as a terrible situation. 

At some point, we dont know how or why, he wound up in that pond, he said. 

There are a lot of broken hearts in the school and this community today, we want to thank the community who came out to search for this young man. 

Lionels body was found around 3pm local time by dive crews after authorities launched a huge multi-agency search that included SLED and FBI 

Lionels mother said on social media after he was found that my boy did not have to lose his life this way. Negligence caused his death 

Dalia said she received a call from her sons school to alert her that her son went missing, and later that he was found, leaving her heartbroken and searching for answers. 

Now I am left without my Leo, she said in a Facebook post. 

The grieving mother added that she saw the video and it does not justify their actions, however it is unclear what video she is referencing. 

In a GoFundMe set up by Dalias friend to pay for Lionels funeral costs and expenses, a friend described her as a single mother of five children whose husband passed away three years ago. 

Following the disappearance, authorities scoured the local area before a dive team discovered his body just a short distance from the school in a creek, seen here

A friend of Lionels mother said he loved Spider Man, and was the sweetest, most loving soul with the biggest smile and will be missed dearly 

Teachers at Lionels school said Lionel ran off from campus at around 11am on Thursday morning, and although they said they ran after him, the eight-year-old was able to leave their sight and they lost him. 

Following the huge search, Lionels body was found shortly after 3pm in a body of water. His official cause of death has not been determined. 

W. Burke Royster, Greenville County Schools Superintendent, said in a statement that words are just not sufficient to describe this tragedy.

Our hearts and our prayers are with this family, this community, with this school community.

In the GoFundMe, a friend of Lionels mother said he loved Spider Man, and was the sweetest, most loving soul with the biggest smile and will be missed dearly. 

(Dalia) never in a million years thought she would never see her baby alive again.