TAMPA, Fla. — A 5-year-old boy with autism drowned in a retention pond at a Hillsborough County apartment complex Friday after wandering from his home.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said deputies found the boy inside a retention pond at the Northgreen at Carrollwood apartments around 11 a.m. Friday. He had been reported missing around 9:30 a.m.
WATCH: Autism advocate urges swim lessons after 5-year-old with autism drowns in Hillsborough pond
Sheriff Chad Chronister said the boy's father last saw him around 5 a.m. after putting him to sleep in bed with him.
"[He] became a little more frantic, started looking around outside and saw that the screened-in area, the screen had been broken and pushed open," Chronister said.
More than 140 units responded to the search, including drones and search dogs. A dive team ultimately found the body in a pond about 30 feet from the apartment.
The boy was set to begin kindergarten the following week.
"Unfortunately this isn't the outcome any of us would ever wish to have," Chronister said. "But now Monday, instead of planning the first day of school, they have to plan a funeral."
Chronister said he spoke with the family after the discovery. When he asked the boy's grandmother if there was anything he could do, she had one request.
"She said, 'change this nightmare, wake us up from this nightmare,'" Chronister said.
The grandmother also had a message for the public.
"She said, 'tell people not to ever avoid getting swim lessons,'" Chronister said.
A pattern of drowning deaths in Florida
The drowning is one of 85 child drowning deaths recorded in Florida so far this year, according to data from the Florida Department of Children and Families. Five of those deaths have occurred in Hillsborough County. One of the previous Hillsborough cases occurred on June 13 at an apartment complex near the Northgreen complex, according to Chronister.
Children with autism face a disproportionate risk. Stacey Hoaglund, president of Disability Advocacy and Support Specialists, said the data reveals a stark disparity.
"Of the children in Florida just this year who have died in a lake, pond, or canal, 67% of those kids were kids with autism. Autism only affects 2% of the overall population of children," Hoaglund said.
Children with autism can be at greater risk of wandering, making water safety education especially critical for their families. Hoaglund works to help families obtain door alarms and access swim instruction tailored to children with autism.
"You have to work with a swim school that knows how to make sure that your child can survive in the water if they fall into a canal or a pond or a lake," Hoaglund said.
Florida is the only state in the country with a swim voucher program for families in need, Hoaglund said.
She said there are many resources for families, including the Red Cross, the Department of Children and Families, fire departments and swim vouchers provided to families by the Florida Department of Health.
"We're the only state in the country that has a swim voucher for families in need," Hoaglund said.
Hoaglund said the loss of a child to drowning can happen to any family.
"With every family that we talked to who has lost a child is that they never thought it could happen to them. And so you cannot make that assumption because there are really good parents that lose children to drowning. It doesn't mean that you're a bad parent," Hoaglund said.
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