Autistic 5-year-old found dead in Riverview retention pond after missing report
A five-year-old autistic boy was discovered deceased in a retention pond in Riverview shortly after his parents reported him missing.
Around 9 a.m., parents in the 7200 block of Grand Elm Drive in Riverview alerted authorities that their five-year-old autistic son was missing. Hillsborough County deputies responded within ten minutes and began a search of the townhome community off South 78th Street. At 9:20 a.m., they found the child in a retention pond and administered CPR until Hillsborough County Fire Rescue arrived.
He was transported to a hospital, where he was later declared dead, and his name remains undisclosed. This tragedy adds to a series of drownings involving autistic children in the Tampa Bay area, including similar incidents at local apartment complexes and a case in Palm Harbor. State data show that children with autism represent a disproportionate share of childhood drowning deaths in Florida.
Why it matters
The death highlights safety gaps for autistic children who are drawn to water and the lack of barriers around stormwater ponds.
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