Missing 5-Year-Old Found Dead In Retention Pond: Hillsborough Sheriff

A missing 5-year-old boy with autism was found dead in a Riverview retention pond, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

By Tiffany Razzano, Patch Staff

Oct 19, 2026 9:06 AM EDT

A missing 5-year-old boy with autism was found dead in a Riverview retention pond, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said. (Courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)

RIVERVIEW, FL — A 5-year-old boy with autism who was reported missing from his Riverview home on Saturday morning was found dead in a nearby retention pond, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

The boy's parents called 911 at 9 a.m. to report that their son was missing from their home in the 7200 block of Grand Elm Drive.

Deputies arrived at 9:11 a.m. and immediately began searching the neighborhood with assistance from the agency's K-9 Unit.

At 9:20 a.m., a deputy found the child in a retention pond within the community, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies pulled him from the water and performed CPR until Hillsborough County Fire Rescue arrived.

The boy was taken to AdventHealth, where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff's office said.

"Losing a child is a pain no family should ever know," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "I commend our deputies' quick response and their attempts to save the child's life."