CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
A 7-year-old nonverbal boy with autism drowned Saturday in a canal near Northeast 13th Place and 19th Terrace in Cape Coral after a community search effort.
Kayden McIntosh said he was in his garage Saturday night when he heard a woman screaming.
“She said her autistic, nonverbal son had run away from home and had a phone with him. They knew he was near the water because he had dropped the phone,” McIntosh said.
The phone’s last known location led McIntosh and his friend to begin searching for the boy.
“We both ran out and jumped into the water, up and down the river. We ended up getting kayaks from the neighbors around,” McIntosh said.
Cape Coral police said they received a call about the missing child at 8:45 p.m. Video from the scene showed Cape Coral fire crews, police and Lee County EMS working together. Police said the search involved a UAV, officers and firefighters along the canal banks. Nearby residents also helped.
McIntosh found the boy nearly 30 minutes later, tangled underwater.
“He was already unconscious at that point and just pale blue,” McIntosh said.
Police said lifesaving measures were performed but were unsuccessful.
The boy’s family described him as a beautiful child and said they had moved into the neighborhood earlier this month.
“I was definitely glad we found him. Anyway, the mother does have closure. It was definitely upsetting, especially, you know, again, he and I weren’t looking for any trophies,” McIntosh said.
The family said they were waiting for the medical examiner’s office to contact them so they could retrieve his body. Police did not disclose how long the boy had been in the canal.
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