Missing 5-year-old with autism rescued from sewer drain
By: -----
Gwinnett County, GA - A missing 5-year-old boy with autism was safely found after a search at Peachtree Ridge Park, thanks to quick thinking and teamwork by police officers, according to Gwinnett County Police.
Officers with the Central Precinct responded to the park on Nov. 15 after the child wandered away from a playground. About 40 minutes into the search, Officer Hugley noticed that a fence surrounding a retention pond had been pulled up. Acting on his instinct, he went under the fence and began checking a nearby neighborhood, including a sewer drain.
Officer Hugley called out and heard a response from inside the drain. Officer Nunez soon arrived and crawled into the sewer, locating the child a couple of hundred feet inside. While Officer Nunez made his way through the drain, Lt. Huggins found the nearest drain hole cover and directed officers to that location.
The boy was safely removed from the sewer and was not injured.