More than 140 law enforcement units joined the search after the child disappeared from his family’s apartment Friday morning.
TAMPA, Fla. — A 5-year-old boy with autism who disappeared from his family’s Hillsborough County apartment was found dead in a nearby retention pond Friday morning after a large search involving deputies, aircraft, drones, dogs and a dive team, authorities said.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said the child was last seen by one of his parents around 5 a.m. Aug. 7 inside the family’s home near Cypress Mulch Circle and Northgreen Avenue. The parent woke around 9 a.m. and realized the boy was missing. Investigators said the family discovered a hole in a rear screen before searching the home and nearby area. The parent called 911 at 9:31 a.m. after being unable to find him.
The search quickly expanded around the Northgreen at Carrollwood apartment complex. More than 140 law enforcement units took part, according to the sheriff’s office, along with its Drone Team, Aviation Unit, K-9 Unit and Dive Team. The sheriff’s office had described the child during the search as nonverbal and said he did not respond to his name. Authorities believed he had wandered away from the residence.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said search dogs repeatedly focused investigators on a retention pond behind the apartment complex. Dive team members entered the water, and the boy was found shortly after 11 a.m. The sheriff’s office announced at 1:13 p.m. that the search had ended with the child’s death. Authorities had not publicly released his name as of Friday night.
“There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a child,” Chronister said in a statement. He said deputies and detectives had responded hoping to bring the boy safely home and that the sheriff’s office was grieving alongside his family. The agency said its investigation remained active and ongoing.
Chronister said during a news briefing that the boy had recently turned 5 and had been preparing to begin elementary school. Local reporting said the family had been celebrating his acceptance into a school program suited to his learning needs. The sheriff described the sharp change facing the family as it moved from preparing for the start of school to mourning the child’s death.
The death was the second involving a young child with autism who drowned at the same apartment complex in less than two months, Chronister said. Authorities said the earlier death involved a different child and a different retention pond within the property. Officials have not announced any investigative connection between the two incidents beyond the location and similar circumstances.
The case also comes amid continuing concern over childhood drownings in Florida. WUSF reported that state data identifies unintentional drowning as the leading cause of preventable death among Florida children ages 1 through 4. Children with autism may also face an increased risk of wandering, making nearby bodies of water a particular concern in missing-child searches.
Chronister said he spoke with the boy’s family after the recovery and publicly relayed the grandmother’s request that families take water safety seriously. The sheriff emphasized swimming instruction while discussing the large number of ponds and other bodies of water across the Tampa area. His remarks came as investigators continued reviewing the circumstances surrounding how the child left the apartment and reached the pond.
The sheriff’s office said the investigation remained active as of Friday and that any additional findings would be released through its Public Affairs Office. Authorities had not announced evidence of foul play or publicly released additional findings concerning the child’s death.
Author note: Last updated August 8, 2026.