A 5-year-old boy drowned last week in a Buenaventura Lakes pond, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office announced this week.
On Wednesday, Nov. 13, deputies responded to Senses Park on Buenaventura Boulevard in reference to a juvenile who went missing. The boy’s father noted that while he was tending to his younger child, he briefly lost sight of the 5-year-old, who the father said was diagnosed with autism.
Sheriff’s Office patrol, aviation, K9, and criminal investigations divisions responded to the area, police said. A trained Bloodhound K9 was used to help track the direction the child went after leaving the park.
The child was discovered in a nearby body of water. Deputies entered the water and immediately began life saving measures in an attempt to save the boy’s life. The child was transported to Nemours Children Hospital in Lake Nona, and was child was declared dead shortly after arriving.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office offers the Project Lifesaver program. Enrollees wear a waterproof personal transmitter around their wrist or ankle, about the size of a smart watch, which emits an individualized tracking signal. Tracking technology can find the person easier.
Those who wish to enroll loved ones can find information at www.osceolasheriff.org/project-lifesaver.
The announcement comes just days after it was announced a 4-year-old boy from Ormond Beach drowned in a body of water near a park over the weekend.
