A 4-year-old boy from New York with autism went missing on Christmas Eve while visiting his grandmother in South Carolina and his body was discovered early Friday.
The search for Jayden Morrison began around 6 p.m. on Wednesday and continued into Friday morning, reports WMFB. Hundreds of local residents helped officials in the search for Jayden, who did could not speak and was last seen with a pacifier.
Horry County Police searched with K9 units and dive teams, while the American Red Cross and community members teamed up in the search. Helicopters were also used.
Jayden’s body was found around 11 a.m. Friday in a small pond in Little River, the Horry County Police Department said, reports NBC NY. He was found by a medic volunteer and was wearing the same pajamas he was last seen wearing.
Police say that Jayden disappeared from his grandmother’s house while his mother was out at a Walmart. His grandmother turned around and Jayden was gone.
Jayden’s parents - Andre and Tabatha Morrison - did help out with the search. Tabatha Morrison noted that the area is not familiar to Jayden, so he would not have been able to find his own way back to his grandmother’s home.