Nonverbal 6-year-old boy wanders from home, Ohio cops say. Then, he’s pulled from pond
An Ohio community gathered, with flashlights in tow, to find a 6-year-old boy with autism who had wandered off one evening, police said.
Knowing that he was attracted to parks and bodies of water, people canvassed the area for hours on Nov. 21, the morning after Joshua Al-Lateef’s older brother called 911 saying the nonverbal boy was missing, West Chester Township police and the Cincinnati Enquirer said.
“They can’t find my son,” his mother said in another call to 911, according to the Enquirer. “They can’t find my little boy.”
Around 8 p.m. on Nov. 21, divers made the grim discovery in a pond near the boy’s home, police said. Joshua’s body was pulled from the water, officials said in a video posted by WLWT.
“We were on a mission here to locate Joshua and bring him home, and unfortunately this is where we’re at,” Interim Police Chief Brian Rebholz said during a news conference.
The pond where the boy’s body was found had been searched by divers twice, Fire Chief Rick Prinz said. Joshua was found during the second search.
“The amount of people that showed up … just an incredible, incredible journey, a lot of support for the family,” Rebholz said. “Tonight, we grieve with them.”
Officials say the investigation into the boy’s death is ongoing.
West Chester Township is about a 20-mile drive northeast from downtown Cincinnati.
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Nonverbal 6-year-old boy wanders from home, Ohio cops say. Then, he’s pulled from pond."
