Inside ‘Aaron Peña: Missing 5-Year-Old Autistic Boy Found Dead In Pond on Thanksgiving’ A 5-year-old Florida boy was found dead in a pond on Thursday, hours after he reportedly wandered away from his home.
Aaron Peña: Missing 5-Year-Old Autistic Boy Found Dead In Pond on Thanksgiving
Aaron Peña’s body was discovered not far from his Orange County home. His mother told WKMG that he left the home via a back door as she worked from home.
The mother said she realized her son was missing after she did not hear him in the background. She told the news outlet that her son is non-verbal and autistic.
Peña’s mother reportedly searched around the children’s room before finding the back door open. She told WKMG that the door is typically locked but her son, who is her youngest child, possibly figured out how to unlock it.
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The mother told WFTV that her son was fascinated by water.
“He’s attracted to bodies of water as well, so I went straight to the pool area and the pond,” she told WESH.
The boy’s home is located near Moss Park Road and State Road 417, according to the Orange County Sheriffs’ Office.
Stanton said that he walked out of the back door of the house at about 12:45 p.m.
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According to Stanton, she had been working from home when she realized she couldn’t hear Peña in the background, which is when she realized something was wrong.
“I wasn’t hearing any type of laughing sounds or him singing over and over like, repetitive songs,” she said. “Or he’ll usually create a scenario where he’ll talk to himself about the birds and colours and songs that he watches on YouTube.”
Stanton said she then went to check her children’s rooms, and after finding that he wasn’t there, she saw that the back door had been opened. While the door is usually locked, she said that she believes Peña figured out how to unlock it.
Stanton reported the child missing, leading deputies and neighbours to initiate a search near the home.
Just before 1 a.m. Thursday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office reported the boy was found dead.
“It is with a heavy heart that we must report that Aaron Pena was found, deceased, in a body of water not far from his home. We are grieving his loss and our prayers are with his family, the sheriff’s office said in a social media post.
No other details have been released.
Stanton said that Peña was the youngest of her three children.
UPDATE: It’s with a heavy heart that we must report that Aaron Pena was found, deceased, in a body of water not far from his home. We are grieving his loss and our prayers are with his family. pic.twitter.com/y4aBXMVMKC
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) November 24, 2022
Additional details regarding Peña’s death were not provided.
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