JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A three-year-old girl with autism was found dead in a retention pond on Monday morning, marking the second tragic drowning of an autistic child in the area this month.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) responded to a call at approximately 7:30 a.m. regarding a missing toddler. Shortly after arriving at the Waterside Townhomes community on Jacksonville’s Northside, investigators discovered the unresponsive child in a nearby retention pond. She was later pronounced dead.
The tragedy has left local residents shaken. Keira Seller, a neighbor who lives down the street from the scene, expressed her heartbreak after witnessing the massive police presence.
“It’s sad, you know, especially because we have kids,” Seller said. She noted that while few children live in the immediate area, the ones who do are naturally curious. “Their first reaction is always to go to some type of water, especially because it is hot.”
Seller said after this accident she’s looking to reenroll her kids in swimming lessons.
An employee working nearby, who asked to remain anonymous, echoed those concerns, emphasizing that open retention ponds pose a constant danger in residential neighborhoods.
“With so many ponds being near homes, you have to be very vigilant and keep an eye on your kids because kids wander,” the worker said. “They see water and they immediately want to go swim. My son was like that when he was a child.”
The incident has reignited a local debate over neighborhood water safety. Just weeks earlier, a 7-year-old boy with autism drowned in a separate retention pond on the Northside.
In light of the back-to-back tragedies, grieving community members are calling on local officials and developers to implement stricter safety infrastructure. Children with autism are statistically at a much higher risk for wandering, a behavior known as elopement, and are often intensely drawn to water.
“I feel like for safety measures, everything that has to do with a body of water should be fenced,” Seller said. “Especially when it comes to ponds, and especially if you have kids in that area in close proximity.”
Investigators are looking into how the 3-year-old was able to get out of the home. They suspect no foul play at this time.
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