SOUTH MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) – Authorities are investigating a drowning in South Miami-Dade that claimed the life of a 7-year-old boy and left his family devastated.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office units responded to a 911 call about a missing child near Southwest 284th Street and 142nd Avenue, just after 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday.
Deputies immediately began canvassing the area to locate the boy, identified as King Dixon, and requested additional resources, including aviation and K-9 units, to assist in the search.
“Our deputies arrived three minutes right after this call, and they began to search for this child,” said MDSO Detective Joseph Peguo.
Investigators said a deputy located King in a nearby canal.
“One of the deputies was able to locate a body of water where he found a body floating. He immediately jumped in the water and removed this child,” said Peguo. “Two other deputies began lifesaving efforts until Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived and airlifted the child to HCA [Florida] Kendall [Hospital].”
Detectives spent around 30 minutes performing CPR before Dixon was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition. Despite first responders’ best efforts, the boy was pronounced dead.
“It is our job to save lives, and our deputies did their best this night, and we want to keep this family in our prayers alongside our deputies that will take this home with them tonight,” said Peguo.
Now, a grandmother is left heartbroken as she remembers the life of her grandson.
“This is a dream, it’s a dream because I don’t expect, he’s not sick to die like that,” said Loustanie Dorval, Dixon’s grandmother. “I don’t know what I can do. I don’t know what I can do. My grandson. Lose like that.”
King’s family said he was a loving child on the autism spectrum who loved food and to play.
“He loves the water, he loves astronauts, he loves the color green, he loves his fruits,” said his aunt, Vanessa Welsey. “God forbid you didn’t give him beans with rice or watermelon in the morning. He liked to play. He was a jokester. He would do random stuff and just laugh about it.”
“He liked food, watermelon, grapes, strawberries. You don’t give him a ball, he don’t leave you alone,” said Dorval.
The family and a nearby resident said King wasn’t found until shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday, so they wonder whether the outcome would have been different if he had been found more quickly.
“It was so sudden, and we didn’t even get to say goodbye,” said Welsey.
Family members said he never tried to get in the water before.
MDSO’s Homicide Bureau has taken over the ongoing investigation.
