JSO: 5-year-old boy with autism found dead in Jacksonville pond after being reported missing

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A young boy with autism was found dead in a pond Sunday morning just hours after he was reported missing, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.

The parents of Mohamad Nour, 5, called police just before 9 a.m. after they noticed he was gone.

Prior to him being reported missing, JSO said he was last seen at 6 a.m. by his family.

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According to JSO, it is believed the boy unlatched the lock of the front door of his home and left.

Several units with JSO and the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department assisted in the search for Mohamad.

Officers say the search consisted of door-to door canvassing of his neighborhood on Stone Pond Drive, near Beach and Hodges boulevards.

The sheriff’s office used K9s, several boats, drones, and a helicopter in the search for the nonverbal child.

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A number of detectives also assisted in the search.

Fire and rescue found the boy in the pond just east of his neighborhood, with one of their boats just before 11 a.m., JSO said in a news briefing.

Police are now calling the incident a death investigation.

Action New Jax’s Ben Ryan spoke with neighbors in the area who knew the 5-year-old.

“We cared about him, her, [and] her whole family. It’s a devastating loss that you can’t imagine it. [It’s] every parents’ worst nightmare,” said one neighbor.

A local mother of a 4-year-old who did not want to be identified said the community is thinking of the young boy’s family.

“I think everybody has them in their thoughts and prayers,” she said.

Original Story below:

Police are asking for the community’s help in locating a missing child.

Mohamad Nour, 5, was last seen at 6 a.m. Sunday in the 13500 block of Stone Pond Drive, in the Beach/Hodges area.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said he has autism and is nonverbal.

Mohamad is described as 4 feet tall and weighs about 65 pounds. He has brown eyes and brown hair.

He may be wearing a blue and yellow shirt and a pull-up diaper.

If you see him, please call JSO at 904-630-0500 or 911 immediately with information.

Cox Media Group