FRIENDSWOOD, Texas – A teenager was found dead at the bottom of Friendswood neighborhood pool Thursday, authorities said.
At approximately 8:10 a.m., deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the Heritage Park Village recreation center, located in the 2300 block of Quillback Drive, in reference to reports that a teen was found dead in the neighborhood pool.
The caller reported that they and a friend were going to play tennis when they spotted the juvenile in the water.
Paramedics pronounced the teenager deceased shortly after pulling him from the water, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
About 15 to 20 minutes later, a female arrived on scene and told deputies one of her family members was missing from her home , Harris County Deputy Thomas Gilliland said. Shortly after, deputies determined that the description of the missing boy matched that of the juvenile pulled from the pool.
Gilliland said the 13-year-old was disabled and has autism.
Family members told deputies the boy loved the water and tried to come to the pool quite often. Though he did not know how to swim, he enjoyed hanging out with his friends and watching them swim.
Investigators are working to determine what time he went missing from his family’s home and how he gained access to the pool, which closed at 10 p.m. Wednesday night and reopened around 8 a.m. Thursday morning.
“Our condolences go out to the family,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.