In a heart-wrenching end to a search that rallied multiple law enforcement agencies, the body of a 7-year-old boy who vanished in Bastrop County was found in a nearby pond. The Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office reported that Jesus Castellanos-Carreon's parents realized he was missing at approximately 2:43 p.m. on Sunday, prompting a frantic search that led to the discovery of tragic signs hinting that the boy may have entered a pond close to their home, KXAN reported.
The efforts to locate Jesus saw a collaboration of local teams and resources, including the Austin Police Department's water rescue team, which later recovered the boy's body from 5 feet of water at 7:50 p.m. According to KVUE, the temperature of the water was a chilling 56 degrees, The sheriff's office also noted that Jesus was autistic, a condition which, tragically, includes a propensity for those affected to be drawn to water sources such ponds, pools, and water tanks.
This loss has not just impacted the mourning family; it has reverberated through the first responder community involved in the search efforts. No less than eight different agencies, including the Elgin Police and Fire Departments, North Bastrop Fire Department, Bastrop Fire Department, and Heart of the Pines Fire Department—alongside state and local law enforcement—combined forces to comb the land, skies, and waters in the doomed hope of finding Jesus alive.
