More than 140 deputies joined the search after the nonverbal child with autism disappeared from his family’s Hillsborough County apartment.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A 5-year-old boy with autism who disappeared from his family’s apartment Friday morning was found dead hours later in a retention pond behind the complex, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.
The boy was last seen by his father at about 5 a.m. Aug. 7 after the two fell back asleep, according to authorities. When the father woke around 9 a.m., the child was no longer in the apartment. After searching the home and surrounding area, the family called 911 at about 9:30 a.m., setting off a large search involving more than 140 deputies and several specialized units.
The child was nonverbal and had autism, authorities said. Investigators believed he had wandered from the apartment after a screen in a patio area was broken and pushed open. His father found the damaged screen while looking for him and also contacted the boy’s grandmother to determine whether the child might be with her. She told him he was not.
Deputies deployed aviation crews, drones, K-9 teams and a dive team during the search. A bloodhound repeatedly returned to a retention pond about 25 to 30 feet behind the apartment, according to information released by the sheriff’s office. Search crews then focused on the water, and a diver entered the pond.
The boy’s body was recovered at about 11 a.m. in roughly five feet of water, officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities had not publicly released the child’s name in the reports reviewed. No information indicating foul play had been announced, and officials described the case as a drowning.
The boy had recently turned 5, according to local reporting based on information from the sheriff’s office. His family had also recently celebrated his acceptance into an elementary school designed to support his learning needs. The sheriff’s office did not release additional identifying information about the family.
The death was the second involving a 5-year-old child with autism at the same apartment complex in less than two months, authorities said. The earlier case involved a different child who lived in another section of the property and was found in a separate retention pond. Officials did not indicate that the two incidents were otherwise connected.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said deputies responded quickly after the 911 call and expanded the search as information developed. The boy’s grandmother also asked authorities to publicly emphasize swimming instruction following the death. Officials said children with autism can be particularly drawn to water, making ponds and other nearby bodies of water an important focus during searches for missing children.
Questions were also raised about barriers around retention ponds. A sheriff’s office spokesperson said Florida has requirements governing barriers around swimming pools but said there were no comparable laws governing retention ponds. Authorities did not announce whether the apartment complex had violated any law or whether property conditions played a role in the child’s death.
The sheriff’s office continued handling the case after the recovery of the boy’s body. Authorities had not announced any criminal charges or released additional findings about the circumstances of the drowning as of the latest reports.
Author note: Last updated August 10, 2026.