5-year-old Florida boy drowns in Kissimmee Park, deputies say

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Updated  November 19, 2024 7:32pm EST
FOX 35 Orlando
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5-year-old drowns at park in Kissimmee, officials say

A 5-year-old boy with autism died earlier this week after he went missing and was found in a nearby pond at a park in Kissimmee, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said. It is the second drowning incident involving a child with autism this week in Central Florida.

The Brief

    • A 5-year-old boy with autism died earlier this week after he wandered away and was found in a pond, officials said.
    • It is the second drowning incident this week involving a child with autism in Central Florida.
    • A 4-year-old boy went missing in Ormond Beach over the weekend and was found hours later in a body of water, officials said.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A 5-year-old boy with autism died earlier this week after he went missing and was found in a nearby pond at a park in Kissimmee, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said.

Officials responded to Senses Park in Kissimmee on Wednesday, Nov. 13, after the boy's father reported him missing. OCSO said the father was at the park with the 5-year-old and his younger sibling.

"While he was tending to his younger child, he briefly lost sight of his 5-year-old son," OCSO said in a news release.

It is the second drowning incident involving a child with autism to happen this week. In Ormond Beach, 4-year-old Waylon Childs went missing while at a park with his dad and siblings, and was ultimately found hours later in a nearby pond.

MORE: Family mourns 4-year-old’s drowning, calls for park safety: 'Let Waylon leave a legacy'

Family mourns 4-year-old’s drowning, calls for park safety: 'Let Waylon leave a legacy'

Friends and family gathered Monday in Ormond Beach to remember Waylon Childs, a 4-year-old boy with autism who was reported missing Sunday and later found dead overnight in a nearby pond.

At Senses Park, a trained bloodhound located the boy in a nearby body of water. First responders attempted CPR and transported the boy to Nemours Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff's office said. 

Officials did not release the boy's name.

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The Source: Information in this article came from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, and previous reporting from FOX 35 Orlando.