- - 6-year-old boy dies in apparent Michigan drowning after wandering from family reunion

Darcie Moran and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY NETWORK July 29, 2025 at 10:57 AM

A 6-year-old Michigan boy with autism drowned in a lake after wandering away from a family reunion on Saturday, July 26, at Belle Isle Park, near downtown Detroit, police say.

A boy was playing in a bounce castle at the park along with several other children when he wandered off, according to the preliminary investigation by the Michigan State Police. When his family members noticed he was missing, they began searching for him and called 911 for help.

A child and an adult discovered the boy in the river approximately 30 minutes after he had gone missing, based on reporting by the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. Emergency responders performed CPR and used an automated defibrillator in an effort to revive the child before transporting him to Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

K9 police search and recovery training takes place on Belle Isle in Detroit on Thursday, June 12, 2025.

"A drowning can happen quickly and quietly and is often not how it is portrayed on TV," Michigan State Police First Lt. Mike Shaw said in a written statement on Sunday, July 27. He warned that there have been multiple drownings in the state this year. "Keep a close eye on your kids and people who (can’t) swim, wear life jackets when boating, and if you are a poor swimmer, and be careful with alcohol consumption."

Wandering is common for children with autism

Wandering is a common practice for children with autism, according to the nonprofit National Autism Association, which encourages that water be searched first when a child goes missing.

Last year was the deadliest year recorded for children with autism who wandered, and nearly all in that record died from drowning, according to tracking from the association. While drowning accounted for 91% of wandering deaths, 7% involved children with autism who were struck by vehicles, and 1% who died from hypothermia, the association reported.

Resources on the topic are available on the association website. The Autism Alliance of Michigan also offers a free program that connects families with resources to create safety plans.

Drowning is the leading cause of death among 1-to 4-year-olds and that risk is 160 times higher for children with autism, a 2017 study from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found.

How to protect kids from drowning

But there are ways to help keep kids safe around water and to prevent accidental drownings.

"It doesn’t have to be this way; it is entirely preventable," Adam Katchmarchi, CEO of the nonprofit National Drowning Prevention Alliance, previously told USA TODAY. "It's within every family's power to gain this information to keep their kids safer."

The National Autism Association encourages parents to consider the following guidelines to prevent drownings.

Enroll children in swimming lessons as early as possible

Install protective barriers and gear, including fencing, self-latching closing gates and pool covers

Require children to wear a life jacket on boats

Supervise your child closely without any distractions

Educate children about water safety, from safe areas to swim to avoiding riptides

Contributing: Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY

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