Missing girl rescued from neighbor’s pool after being spotted by Osceola County Sheriff's aviation unit
Osceola County deputies rescue missing girl found in neighbor’s pool
A 7-year-old girl who was reported missing in Osceola County was rescued after deputies located her struggling in a neighbor’s swimming pool, authorities said.
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - Every passing moment was critical when it came to canvassing an Osceola County neighborhood for a child reported missing.
The 7-year-old girl was later found in a neighbor's swimming pool, having ingested a significant amount of water, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies rushed to save a missing girl found later in a neighbor's swimming pool. (Source: Osceola County Sheriff's office)
What we know:
Deputies with the Osceola County Sheriff's Office – along with K-9 teams – conducted a neighborhood-wide search for a little girl reported missing, deputies reported on June 16.
The child, who has autism, disappeared while playing outside her home, according to her mother. After noticing her daughter was no longer nearby, the mother contacted the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and reported that the child is known to be attracted to water.
The agency’s Sheriff’s Tactical Aviation Response (STAR) unit located the girl in a neighbor's pool, the sheriff's office reported. Although the girl knew how to swim, the sheriff's office said, she had ingested a significant amount of water. She received a medical evaluation as a precaution and was safely reunited with her family, the sheriff's office said.
What we don't know:
Deputies did not provide details regarding how the girl ended up in the neighbor's swimming pool. The sheriff's office used the incident to remind caregivers to provide constant supervision and protections – such as secure pool barriers and self-latching gates – for those swimming.
"Knowing how to swim does not eliminate the dangers associated with water," the sheriff's office said.
The girl’s mother credited the coordinated search effort with saving her daughter’s life and praised deputies for their quick response and professionalism during the emergency.
Following the incident, Manning said the family enrolled the child in Project Lifesaver, a program that provides tracking devices for children with autism and other individuals who may be prone to wandering, helping first responders locate them more quickly in emergencies.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.