Autistic boy found dead in pond in Maryland after night-time search

Fawzan Hassan, a 6-year-old boy from Maryland, was found dead in a pond in Maryland after a 26-hour search.

According to a Montgomery County Police press release, the child, who cannot speak and has autism, was last seen at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg.

Local news channel DC News Now reported that Hassan attended a community event at the park with his parents.

About 25 minutes later, his family began searching for him in the playground, but they could not find him. They called the police and officers from Gaithersburg and Montgomery County were immediately on the scene. More than 100 police officers, firefighters and volunteers helped search for Hassan, according to The Washington Post,

The Maryland National Capital Police – Montgomery County also assisted in the search by using drones as search teams searched for the child throughout the night, police said in their news release.

On Sunday, July 28, police said Hassan’s body was found in a pond in Bohrer Park around 5:25 p.m.

The remains will be transferred to the chief medical examiner’s office “to determine the exact cause of death.”

Neal Nightingale, who found Hassan’s body, told DC News Now: “It’s kind of shocking.”

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“I didn’t expect to show up here and then, you know, see the child in the water,” said Nightingale, the father of a six-year-old autistic girl.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the family,” Montgomery County Police spokeswoman Shiera Goff said on July 28 after the search. The Washington Post“We were all hoping for a different outcome.”