ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office says a toddler found in a body of water this morning has died at the hospital.
The victim, two-year-old Jet Gonzales who had down syndrome, was believed to have wandered away from his home on Linda Lake Lane around 7am this morning. Bloodhounds with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office tracked Gonzales to a nearby body of water just before 9:30am. After advanced life saving procedures were administered at the scene, rescue crews transported him to Baptist Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators say his cause of death is pending autopsy.
Chuck Mulligan, a PIO with St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, told Action News his parents reported him missing about a half hour after finding a door open at their home. Once alerted, the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office swarmed the Sandy Lakes Subdivision off County Road 210, east of I-95.
Mulligan says there are several retention ponds in the neighborhood which is why dive crews, K-9's and helicopters were all dispatched immediately to the scene.