An autistic 5-year-old boy’s body was found in a pond after his parents realized he was missing while they were unpacking boxes in their new home, according to PEOPLE. This horrific tragedy occurred on Saturday, July 26, after Jaylen Saintelien’s family had just moved to a new home in Naples, Florida.
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Parents Of 5-Year-Old Notice He’s Missing While Unpacking In New Home, Body Found Day Later
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office made a statement explaining the situation. The family noticed their nonverbal child was missing around 3:15 PM local time. They had just moved to a new apartment on Magnolia Pond Circle and were unpacking when this happened.
According to an incident report reviewed by the outlet, Jaylen’s mother had last seen Jaylen in the kitchen. She had been folding clothes in a bedroom while Jaylen was sitting on a barstool, eating pizza.
Although she continued to check on him, a “short time later,” she checked again to see him gone. He was nowhere to be seen inside the home, so she asked her brother and fiancé for help.
Jaylen’s family called 911 after doing a quick search around the home with no luck. “CCSO began a search on the ground and in the air,” it said. “Patrol deputies, Aviation, K-9, Drones, Mounted Patrol, Dive Team, Marine Patrol and detectives along with EMS and Greater Naples Fire Department searched through the evening and into the morning hours.”
By Sunday morning, deputies managed to find the 5-year-old’s body. Jaylen’s body was in a pond near the family’s residence.
“We are heartbroken for Jaylen’s family and we extend our gratitude to our fellow first responders and the many members of the community who assisted in the search,” it concluded.
WINK News attempted to speak to Jaylen’s father about the tragic death, but he declined. Although he wasn’t ready to speak publicly about Jaylen’s death, he shared a Facebook post from WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar.
“My son is gone,” said Jaylen’s father.
The authorities are continuing their investigation into Jaylen’s death. It’s important to know just how quickly a child can disappear and run into danger within mere minutes. This type of accident, if it was one, could happen to any parent.