The body of a missing 6-year-old girl from West Palm Beach who had autism and was non-verbal was found Tuesday night in a body of water behind an apartment complex.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office found the body of Aleenah Fenelus hours after she was last seen around 7 p.m. in the water behind the complex located in the 3600 block of Timberline Drive, NBC affiliate WPTV-TV reported.
PBSO spokeswoman Teri Barbera said deputies used a search and rescue team and a helicopter to find the girl.
"Sadly, after an exhaustive search the child was discovered lifeless in a body of water behind the residence," the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post.
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Fenelus was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
"It was bath time," Fenelus' mother, Farah, told WPTV on Tuesday night. "I went to get her PJs. By the time I put her PJs on the bed, she vanished. I looked all over the house. She wasn't there. So I checked the back and I noticed she pushed the door open and left the house."
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Fenelus said her daughter had never done that before. Investigators did not say if any charges would be filed.
