Three Missouri City police officers dispatched for a routine welfare check on August 7 ended up jumping into the water themselves, pulling a young autistic boy to safety after he wandered near a bayou. The child had strayed from a safe environment when officers spotted him in the water and moved together to bring him out, according to the department's account of the rescue.
Officer Trevino, Officer Guerra and Officer Schuessler were the three officers dispatched to the welfare check before entering the water, according to an official statement released by the Missouri City Police Department. The child rescued was an autistic boy who had wandered near the water, as reported by FOX 26 Houston. CW39 Houston reported that the three officers worked together to bring the child to safety after spotting him in the water.
Chief Praises Quick Thinking Amid His Own Fresh Start
Missouri City Police Chief Troy Finner expressed pride in Officer Trevino, Officer Guerra and Officer Schuessler following the rescue. Finner said the officers' quick thinking, teamwork and willingness to act reflected what the community should expect from the department, and added that being a police officer involves being there when someone needs help, beyond simply enforcing the law.
The praise comes just four months into Finner's tenure leading Missouri City's department. He took office in April after retiring from the Houston Police Department in May 2024 amid an investigation into more than 264,000 uninvestigated, suspended incident reports, according to KHOU. Hoodline previously covered his rocky path to the role when he was appointed the city's top cop.
Why Water Calls Are So Urgent for Autistic Children
The stakes in a rescue like this one are especially high when the child involved is autistic. Research from the National Autism Association indicates that accidental drowning accounts for approximately 90% of lethal outcomes among children with autism spectrum disorder under age 14 who wander from safe environments. A Columbia University study cited by Autism Speaks found that children with autism are 160 times more likely to die from accidental drowning than neurotypical children, a gap researchers attribute in part to sensory attraction to water combined with a lack of awareness of depth or currents.
Those risks aren't abstract in the Houston area. Texas EquuSearch has highlighted that Houston and Fort Bend County bayous pose severe ongoing drowning risks, noting that dozens of submerged vehicles and bodies are recovered from local waterways every year. Statewide, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services reported that at least 44 children had died in accidental drowning incidents in 2026 as of July, following 88 child drowning deaths recorded across the state in 2025.
A Department With a History of Water Rescues
This wasn't the first time a Missouri City officer has been recognized for pulling someone from the water. The department previously presented a Life Saving Award to Officer Henry Arrizola for pulling a drowning individual to safety in 2020, reflecting how often the city's detention ponds and drainage systems connected to regional bayous put officers in the position of first responder to water emergencies.
Texas lawmakers have also moved to tighten water safety rules in the wake of repeated child drowning spikes. Under regulations expanded through Cati's Law, licensed child-care facilities in Texas are now prohibited from allowing children 12 or under near pools or natural bodies of water without written parental consent and mandatory life jackets for non-swimmers. The August 7 rescue in Missouri City stands as a reminder of how quickly a welfare check near open water can turn into a life-or-death response for local police.
