Police: 5-year-old boy with autism pulled from Lauderhill canal dies

LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - A 5-year-old boy with autism who was rushed to the hospital after being pulled from a canal in Lauderhill has died.

According to Lauderhill Police, Zander Brown went missing from his home along the 5100 block of Northwest 85th Avenue, Sunday evening.

At some point, officials said, the boy ended up going into a nearby canal, located near Commercial Boulevard, off of Northwest 85th Avenue.

Several agencies, including the Broward Sheriff’s Office and Sunrise Fire Rescue, responded to the scene, as Lauderhill Police led air and ground searches for the child. Bloodhounds were brought in to aid in the search and rescue efforts.

Neighbors also stepped in to search for the boy. “We were just diving around and saying his name, hoping maybe we’d spot him somewhere, hiding and scared,” said Rachel Luna. “You know, hoping for the best.”

Dive teams called to the scene later located the child under water in the canal.

Paramedics began administering CPR on the unresponsive boy and transported him to Broward Health Coral Springs in critical condition. However, he did not make it.

Lauderhill Police sent out the heartbreaking update shortly after midnight.

“I can’t even imagine,” said Luna. “It’s unimaginable.”

Friends of the family said Zander was under the care of his mother and grandmother when he slipped out of his home.

Edna Alexander, the best friend of the child’s mother, said the family is in shock.

“I don’t know what happened. I’m not sure if he had swimming lessons or not, but they’d just bought the home, and they were renovating it,” she said. “Grandma was in the house asleep, and [the boy’s mother] was in the front washing her car, so it was still daylight out. I don’t know when he left the house.”

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