The West Chester community is mourning the loss of 6-year-old Joshua Al-Lateef Jr., whose body was discovered in a pond near the Lakefront apartment complex where he lived. Joshua, who was on the autism spectrum and nonverbal, was reported missing on Wednesday evening and found the following night after a widespread search effort.
According to Cincinnati.com, divers had previously combed through five of the property’s eight lakes throughout Thursday without finding anything. The challenging conditions of murky, muddy bottoms made the search particularly difficult. The West Chester Township spokesperson Barb Wilson said of the volunteers, "This was not the outcome any of us wanted, but the work of the volunteers was not in vain."
In a news conference, West Chester Police Chief Brian Rebholz addressed the tragic find, saying, "Tonight we grieve with them," as reported by FOX19. He also expressed gratitude towards the more than 300 volunteers and the multiple agencies, including Texas Equusearch, that aided in the search, emphasizing the community's collaborative spirit in response to the boy's disappearance.
WLWT captured the emotional impact on the community, quoting volunteer and mother Deshanae Lewis: "When you're at home and you're reading it on Facebook, you got sympathy, but until you're really out here it doesn't hit you hard. When you're out here, you're potentially going to shed a few tears, and if you're a mother or father, it's going to hit home."
