April 30, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Police are investigating the drowning of a 5-year-old boy with autism in Kennett Township on Monday afternoon.
A 5-year-old boy drowned in a pond Monday after wandering from his home in Kennett Township, police said.
Authorities were called to the 600 block of Chandler Mill Road to search for the missing boy, who had autism, around 2:45 p.m. when his family said they couldn't find him.
After looking inside the family's home and in neighboring homes — and using a drone to assist in the search — Kennett police found the boy face down in a pond on a neighbor's property. The homes in the neighborhood are surrounded by a large wooded area.
Officers pulled the boy out of the pond and performed CPR until medics arrived. The child was taken to A.I. Dupont Hospital in Delaware, where he was pronounced dead. Police did not immediately identify him.
The circumstances that led to the boy's death are being investigated by Kennett Township police and Chester County Detectives.
