5-year-old autistic boy from Michigan found dead in a pond after going missing from his yard on Christmas
SIX LAKES, MICHIGAN: 5-year-old Beau Brennan Belson, who went missing on Christmas has been found dead in a pond near the family home, ending the hopeful search by friends, family, and investigators in a heartbreak. According to the Michigan Police, the MSP Lakeview Post and 6th District detectives will continue with their investigation.
Belson, an autistic child, was last seen at 2:30 pm on December 25 in Six Lakes. The pond where his body was found is located near his grandmother's home in Montcalm County.
Hundreds of local volunteers, local search and rescue teams along with MSP Lakeview Post, Aviation Unit and Marine Services Team were looking for the child earlier. K9 units were also brought in to aid the search. "The belief is he wandered away from the house but nobody knows which direction he left from his yard,” Michigan State Police Lt David Cope told People adding that they did not know at the time whether he had been moving or he had hidden somewhere.
"Any five-year-old is probably scared, but we don’t know if he is hunkering down hiding or moving,” he had said, "We want to find him as quick as we can.” Belson had been playing outside with family members and then had gone missing in the afternoon. According to Associated Press, they had looked for him, but had been unsuccessful and had called the police. He had been wearing dinosaur pajamas, boots, and a blue jacket.
The search teams had been hopeful that the day weather conditions would work in the child's favor. “Of course, temperatures did dip down close to freezing last night,” Cope said, "Any person, regardless of age, you don’t want them being alone in the wilderness for several hours at a time, especially in the 30-degree weather range.”
Confirming the tragic news, Lt. Commander Kevin Sweeney at the Belvidere Township Fire Department said, "Unfortunately, he was found in a pond and he is no longer with us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family."
The cause of death has not been released and remains unclear. Foul play is not suspected in the case.