Missing 6-Year-Old Autistic Boy Found in Ohio Pond After Massive Search Effort
The search for Joshua Al-Lateef Jr., a non-verbal 6-year-old boy with autism, ended in tragedy Thursday night when his body was found in a pond near his home in West Chester Township, Ohio.
The heartbreaking discovery followed an intense two-day search that began Wednesday evening (Nov. 20), after Joshua’s older brother called 911 to report him missing. He was last seen around 5:30 p.m. that day.
Earlier, Joshua had been dropped off by his school bus and was with his adult sister before disappearing from their apartment complex.
Family members informed authorities that Joshua was attracted to water, leading search crews to focus on nearby retention ponds.
More than 300 volunteers and multiple agencies, including Buckeye Search and Rescue (SAR) and Texas EquuSearch, joined the search effort. On Thursday night, around 9 p.m., Joshua’s body was discovered.
“This is not the outcome we wanted,” West Chester Police Chief Brian Rebholz said during a press conference. “We were on a mission to bring Joshua home, and unfortunately, this is where we’re at.”
On Friday morning (Nov. 22), Butler County Coroner Lisa Mannix confirmed that Joshua’s death was an accidental drowning. Authorities stated there was no evidence of foul play.
