Autistic Child Who Went Missing Christmas Eve Found Dead in S.C. Pond
A four-year-old autistic boy from New York who had gone missing on Christmas Eve from a relative's house in South Carolina was found dead on Friday. Coroners confirmed that a drowned body found in a pond in Little River was that of Jayden Morrison.
The young, nonverbal child went missing during a "brief lapse in supervision" while he was being watched by his grandmother as his mother Christmas shopped on Wednesday, the New York Daily News reports.
From the New York Daily News:
[The grandmother] had been watching Jayden and his siblings when she found the front door open. Jayden likely walked out after watching cartoons on the couch, she said.
She immediately alerted neighbors and called 911 to report her missing grandson.
Jayden's body was discovered in a pond only 10 houses down from the family's house in South Carolina after authorities lowered the pond's water level. Over 100 volunteers had joined in the search for Jayden.
[Image via New York Daily News]