Miami-Dade police are investigating the fatal drowning of a toddler in a body of water behind his family home on Friday.
According to investigators, Homestead police responded to a residence in the 2100 block of NE 6th Street in reference to a missing child.
At the scene, units requested the assistance of the MDPD’s aviation unit, K-9 bloodhounds and fire rescue to search the area.
MDFR divers located the 3-year-old boy in a retention pond behind the family's residence and transported him to a local hospital.
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Despite the life-saving efforts of both first responders and hospital medical staff, the toddler was pronounced dead at Homestead Hospital.
Police confirmed that the boy had autism and was non-verbal.
The circumstances leading to the child entering the water are still being investigated.