A 4-year-old boy with autism was found dead in a Kentucky pool hours after he disappeared from home.
Aazam Dahir was last seen in the area of Richiewayne Drive in Louisville around 8 p.m. local time on Saturday, May 16, according to a bulletin shared by the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department (LMPD).
Officers responded to the scene within minutes of receiving the report and launched a large-scale search for the child, according to CBS affiliate WLKY and ABC affiliate WHAS.
Police said a Golden Alert was subsequently launched for the toddler, who had autism and was nonverbal.
Shortly before midnight, the child was found in a nearby pool and was pronounced dead at the scene.
“This is a heartbreaking loss,” LMPD said in a statement, per WHAS. “There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a child.”
Nearly 100 people joined the search for Dahir in the Friendly Hills neighborhood, according to NBC affiliate WAVE and Fox affiliate WDRB.
Officers reportedly also received assistance from the LMPD’s Missing Persons Unit, K9 teams, Air Unit, Drone Unit and other resources.
Mark Domeck, a longtime neighbor, told WAVE he was among those who stepped up to help look for the child.
“I immediately went and scoured my backyard, looked everywhere I could, and then we started looking through some of the other backyards,” Domeck recalled.
Neighbors said Dahir would frequently wander around, according to WDRB.
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Wandering, or elopement, is a tendency that’s considered common with young children with autism, according to the National Autism Association.
The organization says the behavior, which leaves individuals “vulnerable to dangerous situations,” is “typically a form of communication, often occurring to get to something of interest or away from something bothersome, usually noise, commotion, fears/phobias, and demand.”
An investigation into the boy’s death is ongoing.
