2 deaths among children with autism in 1 week is raising concerns

By Greg Fox

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    KISSIMMEE, Florida (WESH) — Twice in the last week, children with autism have wandered away from local parks and drowned.

WESH 2 Investigates was present to witness a man, on his knees, sobbing and praying for a way to bring back his 5-year-old son.

Identified as Arturo Javier Angarita, the boy drowned on Nov. 13 in a drainage ditch in Buenaventura Lakes, across the street from the Buenaventura Lakes Library.

The man was too upset to speak with us, but spent roughly 20 minutes using rope to tighten and close a gap in the side fence to SENSES Park in Kissimmee. It’s about 250 feet from the drainage ditch where Arturo drowned.

Angry and upset, he said the fence should not have any gaps.

It’s a special park. SENSES Park is for those on the autism spectrum and for those with other cognitive and physical challenges.

According to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the man called 911 when he lost track of his 5-year-old son, while tending to his younger child.

Search and rescue teams found the boy underwater and despite heroic efforts to revive the child, he later died at a hospital.

Despite the fact that the boy’s father believes he slipped through a portion of the fence, the front gate of SENSES Park is unlocked and open during daylight hours.

SENSES Park is owned and operated by the county. While a government spokesperson did not answer our questions about the potential for a child to slip through the chained gate, public information officer Thomas Alexander told us, “This is a heartbreaking tragedy. Our thoughts go out to Arturo’s family during this difficult time and for this unthinkable loss. The County is reviewing the situation to determine the facts involved.”

Word of Arturo’s death comes just days after4-year old Waylon Childs, who also had autism, died in Ormond Beach. He wandered from Central Park, and late Sunday, his body was recovered from the water nearby.

“If the child does get out, and they somehow get off the property, we want parents to make immediate contact with law enforcement,” said Jennifer Cicia, of the UCF Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, or, “CARD.”

She says too often, parents of children on the spectrum delay calling 911, with tragic consequences.

“We don’t want you to look for 10 or 15 minutes first, because the minutes are precious,” she said. “We want you to immediately call 911 while you’re searching so that you can have a bigger search taking place.”

Cicia also recommends parents place tracking devices on those with autism, much like those offered for free through the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office called “Project Lifesaver.”

It “provides valuable equipment, employing transmitters to locate wandering or lost children and adults…” devices that can make a difference when seconds count.

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