<\/p>\n
A 5-year-old boy was found dead in a pond this weekend, a day after he vanished from his Florida home, officials said<\/p>\n
His mother was folding clothes and last saw him eating pizza in the kitchen; he disappeared a short time later<\/p>\n
“We are heartbroken for Jaylen\u2019s family,\u201d officials said<\/p>\n
A nonverbal 5-year-old boy with autism was found dead in a pond over the weekend just one day after he vanished from his Florida home, authorities said.
\nOn Saturday, July 26, Jaylen Saintelien’s family was unpacking after they moved into their new home in Naples when they realized he had gone missing at approximately 3:15 p.m. local time, the Collier County Sheriff\u2019s Office said in a statement.
\nJaylen\u2019s mother was folding clothes inside a bedroom while Jaylen was sitting on a barstool eating pizza at the kitchen counter, according to an incident report, which was reviewed by PEOPLE.
\nHis mom had checked in and saw him at the counter, but when she looked again a \u201cshort time later,\u201d she didn\u2019t see him, the report states.
\nUnable to find Jaylen in the apartment, the little boy\u2019s mother asked her brother and fianc\u00e9 for help.
\nAfter doing a quick search of the home and area, the family called 911 to assist in the search for the missing child, officials said in their statement.
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\nUpon arrival at the scene, deputies began a search on the ground and in the air with assistance from drones, mounted patrol, a dive team and more.
\nThey looked for Jaylen into the next day. His body was recovered the morning of Sunday, July 27, “in a pond near the family\u2019s home,\u201d the sheriff\u2019s office said.
\n\u201cWe are heartbroken for Jaylen\u2019s family,\u201d officials added, \u201cand we extend our gratitude to our fellow first responders and the many members of the community who assisted in the search.\u201d
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\nJaylen\u2019s dad declined an interview with CBS affiliate WINK but later reshared a post about his death that had been posted by a WINK news anchor on Facebook.
\n\u201cMy son is gone,\u201d he wrote, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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