Overview

• On July 26 a 6-year-old autistic boy disappeared from a bouncing castle at Belle Isle Park before being found 30 minutes later submerged in the Detroit River.
• DNR park rangers and Detroit firefighters administered CPR and an AED on site before EMS transported the child to Children’s Hospital of Michigan where he was pronounced dead.
• Michigan State Police said their preliminary probe found no foul play and attributed the tragedy to autism-related wandering.
• CDC data show more than 4,000 unintentional drownings occur annually in the U.S., making drowning the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4.
• The National Autism Association reports autistic children face a 160-fold higher risk of drowning and urges barriers, life jackets and early swim instruction to prevent similar accidents.