Missing 6-year-old with nonverbal autism and Down syndrome found dead
A missing 6-year-old boy who has non-verbal autism and Down syndrome has been found dead after going missing in Virginia, the Buckingham County Sheriff's Office said in a statement to CBS news.
Landon "Waldy" Raber was last seen in Curdsville, Virginia. He had wandered away from home on Sunday and deputies responded and immediately began search efforts, the sheriff's office said.
Multiple local agencies, including a volunteer fire department, shared an alert from the Buckingham County Sheriff's Office on Facebook: "Please be on the lookout for a missing 6 year old non-verbal, autistic male LAST SEEN WEARING GRAY PANTS AND A GREEN AND BLUE TSHIRT."
At around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, Raber's body was found in a small pond on the property where he went missing, the sheriff's department said.
"This is a very tragic and unfortunate incident," Sheriff William G. Kidd Jr. said in a statement. "We as a community grieve this loss. I do want to personally thank all who participated in the search efforts to include the fire departments and the many local residents who came to lend a hand. I want to express my sincere thanks to each and every one of you. I, as well as the community, extend our thoughts and prayers to the family for their loss."
The Toga Volunteer Fire Department posted about a community prayer held on Monday in remembrance of Raber.
CBS News has reached out to the state police, Toga Fire Department and The AWARE, a nonprofit that works to help missing and endangered people and had been sharing information on Raber's case.
Nearly half of children with autism go missing from their environment, according to data published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. A substantial number of missing children with autism risk bodily harm or drowning.
Of the 49% of survey respondents who reported their child with autism had attempted to run away at least once after age 4, 24% said their child was in danger of drowning and 65% said they were in danger of traffic injury.
"Children on the autism spectrum may seek out small or enclosed spaces, head toward water or places of special interest to them, or they may try to escape overwhelming stimuli such as sights, sounds, surroundings, or activities of others," the National Center of Missing & Exploited Children says.
These are all risk factors for children with autism, who may also face a higher risk for exploitation, according to the organization.
