An 8-year-old girl with autism tragically died after drowning in a retention pond in southeast Houston on Monday evening, according to local authorities. The incident occurred at 13511 Hycohen Road, as reported by Click2Houston. Houston Police Department confirmed that the young girl was under the care of her aunt at the time of the incident. The girl was in the apartment along with her aunt and possibly one other child before she managed to leave unnoticed.
Residents of the apartment complex helped search for the missing girl, and she was found in a nearby retention pond within five minutes. Houston Police Department said it happened around 6 p.m., according to ABC13. CPR was performed, but the child was sadly pronounced dead at a local hospital. Lt. Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department addressed the tragedy, stating, "This appears to be a very tragic accident, we just want to remind people to do everything they can to keep an eye on children in their care," in a statement obtained by Click2Houston.
Investigations are ongoing as officials speak to the aunt and other witnesses to piece together how the young girl ended up in the pond. At the time of this report, no further details regarding the investigation or potential preventative measures for such accidents have been provided by local officials.
