Waylon Wilder, a nonverbal boy with autism, wandered away from his family's yard in Sumner County and was later found in a neighbor's swimming pool, where responders tried but failed to save his life. Thousands of people had already received a missing-child warning about him before he was located. His mother, Haley Wilder, says he simply did not understand the danger the water posed.
“Waylon simply did not understand danger,” Haley Wilder said, according to News Channel 5 Nashville. Thousands of people got the warning for the missing child before responders found him and attempted to save his life, the station reported. Waylon loved the water, jumping on the trampoline, playing with sensory toys and watching the Titans, his mother said, and even though he didn't communicate through words, he communicated through his smile and through his eyes.
Haley Wilder says she was in the middle of preparing an individualized education program for her son when he died. “I was doing an IEP and it's like I blinked and I was filling out a death certificate,” she said, per the same account. She had been searching for a school that could meet Waylon's needs, but she said the schools didn't have that level of support, so he wasn't welcome. After not receiving a promised callback about another school, she planned to homeschool him instead.
A Mother's Push for Inclusion and Training
Haley Wilder is now advocating for safer and more inclusive spaces for children with disabilities, and she has called for increased funding for school systems and law-enforcement training. She said more awareness is needed among people who don't understand autism, describing Waylon as sweet, gentle and happy, a boy who brought love to everyone who knew him. She hopes his legacy leads to safer, more inclusive spaces, and says she plans to keep raising awareness and building a more inclusive community in his honor.
Sumner County Schools says it is committed to providing individualized services and support that help students with disabilities reach their fullest potential, according to the district's special education policy. The district says eligible children receive a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment and that each eligible child has an Individualized Education Program developed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which can include specialized instruction, services, accommodations and measurable goals. Sumner County Schools also says it provides referral, evaluation and developmental services for eligible preschool-age children, and that parents who suspect a disability in a school-age child should contact the child's teacher or school psychologist for an evaluation. The evidence available does not independently verify the Wilder family's account that schools lacked the support Waylon needed.
Wandering and Water Are a Dangerous Mix for Autistic Children
Waylon's death reflects a pattern researchers and advocates have long flagged. Nearly half of children with autism spectrum disorder will go missing or elope from their environment, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which also says elopement is associated with an extreme risk of drowning, especially for those with substantial support needs or who are nonspeaking. In 2025, at least 98 children and young adults who eloped were recovered deceased, and 88% drowned, the organization reports; among those who drowned, 90% were age 10 or younger and 67% of drownings occurred in natural or naturally appearing water.
The National Autism Association puts the wandering risk in similar terms, estimating that nearly half of children with autism are at risk of wandering from safe settings, as cited by PennLive. The executive director of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance has said children with autism are 160 times more likely to drown than neurotypical children, according to WITN.
Similar Cases Keep Surfacing Nationwide
Waylon's death is not an isolated case this month. In Riverview, Florida, Hillsborough County deputies found a missing 5-year-old autistic boy in a neighborhood retention pond after his parents reported him missing around 9 a.m., and he was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the Tampa Bay Times. In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a nonverbal 5-year-old with autism wandered off a school playground unnoticed and was found 15 minutes later in a creek, the third such incident this year in the School District of Lancaster, per PennLive's reporting. Earlier incidents in that district included an 8-year-old who traveled half a mile from Carter & MacRae Elementary School in May and an 11-year-old found several blocks from Fulton Elementary School in February.
In North Carolina, an 8-year-old autistic boy named Conor drowned in his family's pool in Onslow County on Aug. 4, WITN reported. His father, Mark Greenlief, said his goal is to spread awareness about autism and water safety while seeking accountability. Haley Wilder's advocacy echoes that same call, rooted in the hope that Waylon's story might push schools, first responders and neighbors toward greater understanding of children like him.
