It was 12:45 p.m. Friday afternoon when Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister gave the sad news.
"This is a family’s worst day,” he began.
After the sheriff’s office received a 911 call earlier Friday morning, more than 140 officers deployed to the Northgreen at Carrollwood apartment complex in search of a missing 5-year-old boy with autism.
His father awoke to find his son missing, with the only sign of his departure being a hole the boy apparently tore in their screened-in patio.
Deputies and canines searched the immediate area, eventually tracking him down to a retention pond located directly behind the apartment building.
Divers were quickly called in, where they found the body of the young boy, deceased. Authorities have not released the name of the boy.
It is the second time in two months that a child with autism has drowned in a retention pond at the apartments, according to Chronister.
The death of the child echoes an alarming statewide trend in drownings, particularly among young people with autism.
A fatal trend
In Florida, unintentional drowning is the leading cause of preventable death for children ages 1 to 4.
According to data from the Florida Department of Children and Families, dozens of children have lost their lives to drowning in Florida this year alone. In 2025, 119 children drowned in Florida, with nearly 80% under age 3.
Casey McGovern lost her daughter to drowning in 2009 at just 19 months old.
It led her to start the Every Child A Swimmer program, where she dedicates her life to preventing other families from experiencing the same devastation.
McGovern discussed the spike in childhood drowning deaths on The Florida Roundup. In her teachings on water safety, identifying potential hazards is among the first steps a household can take.
“We have fire extinguishers. We have smoke detectors. But nobody really talks about that great big beautiful body of water behind your home, near your home, and having a plan. And so I think that that's one of the biggest problems is just knowledge of the hazard and what am I going to do about it,” she said.
The reality of retention ponds
McGovern's warnings mirrored Friday's drowning.
The retention pond behind the apartment complex is exactly the kind of unmonitored hazard she warns about.
Chronister spoke extensively with the victim’s family at the scene.
“[I] got done speaking to the grandmother and asked her, ‘What could the sheriff's office do for you?’ and she said, ‘Change this nightmare. Wake us up from this nightmare,’” he recalled.
He asked if there was a message she wanted people to hear.
“She said, ‘Tell people not to ever avoid getting swim lessons.’ So I'm going to honor those wishes. Anyone out there, regardless of the age of your child, regardless of the circumstances, they have special needs. It doesn't matter. Get them swim lessons,” Chronister said.
READ MORE: Water may be sensory bliss for kids with autism — but it can also be a threat
Data from state safety advocates indicates that roughly three-quarters of Florida children who drown do not know how to swim.
McGovern warned parents that drowning does not look like it does on television: “You feel like you're safe. You feel like you're going to hear it. You feel like there's going to be flailing and screaming, and you'll be coming. You'll be able to run out. But in most cases, it's under 30 seconds, and you know tragedy has occurred.”
Chronister explained that the victim had just turned 5 years old. His family was in the middle of celebrating his acceptance into a specialized elementary school, which he was scheduled to begin Monday.
“Instead of planning the first day of school, they have to plan a funeral,” Chronister said.
Florida leads the nation in unintentional child drowning cases. Children with autism face an elevated risk of wandering, often compounded by a strong sensory attraction to water.
The investigation into this incident remains active. To view more updates on the situation, visit the official Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Press Room.
