First responders have recovered the body of a missing nonverbal, autistic 6-year-old from a pond in the Gaithersburg, Maryland, park where he was last seen.
Fawzan Hassan had last been seen at an Ethiopian community picnic held at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg around 3 p.m. Saturday, according to a news release.
At a news conference Sunday evening, Montgomery County police confirmed the body of Hassan surfaced in a pond near Bohrer Park at approximately 5:25 p.m. Sunday, where a local group of volunteers had sighted him and alerted police.
The pond had previously been searched by authorities, but diving efforts were ruled out due to the presence of snapping turtles in the water, according to police.
Hassan’s reported death sent shockwaves through the community for more than a day.
“With the recovery of a body from the pond near Bohrer Park this afternoon, we have reached a tragic end to the search for 6-year-old Fawzan Hassan. My heart goes out to Fawzan’s family in their time of grief,” County Executive Marc Elrich said in a statement Sunday.
WTOP’s Dick Uliano, reporting live from the scene, said Montgomery County police pulled a body from the small pond, which was less than 50 yards away from the playground where Hassan was last seen. Numerous people gathered at the site were “weeping” as the body was recovered, Uliano said.
“A really sad ending to this search. Thoughts are and will remain with the Hassan family,” Earl Stoddard, the county’s assistant chief administrator, said in a post on X. “I cannot imagine their anguish.”
Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman thanked the families and community members who assisted in the search after “an unspeakable tragedy for the Hassan family and the community.”
“We will carry Fawzan in our hearts,” Ashman said.
Lt. Kristina Hedgepeth of the Montgomery County Police Department’s Special Victims Bureau said the case will be transferred to the Major Crimes Division. There is no indication of foul play at this time.
“We are grateful for the tireless efforts of our search teams … and the many volunteers and community members who assisted in the search. Their commitment to helping locate Hassan has been invaluable,” said Hedgepeth. “We ask that the community respect the family’s privacy as they mourn the loss of their child.”
The body of the young boy has been transferred to the Office of the County Medical Examiner, who will determine cause of death in the next few days, according to police spokesperson Shiera Goff.
Community spends hours searching for Hassan
After more than 24 hours searching the area, police asked the community during a 3:30 p.m. news conference on Sunday for help in finding Hassan.
Hassan had last been seen wearing blue and white sneakers.
Among other requests, police asked residents keep an eye out for Hassan in public areas, as well as checking their backyards and other places he may have sought shelter around their properties.
Ousman Seid, a leader with the Ethiopian Silt’e community group hosting the picnic, said the group had been helping in the search for the child and had offered their own $10,000 reward.
“This was our event. We think we are responsible, and we didn’t have any sleep,” Seid said. “We felt we have to do this, and the money really didn’t matter.”
Search teams worked overnight Saturday into Sunday searching for Hassan, using drones with the assistance of Maryland National Capital Police in Montgomery County, as well as canines from the Mid-Atlantic DOGS search and rescue teams.
Before the end of the evening news conference, Hedgepeth addressed the parents in the community, many of whom had been a part of the search.
“As a parent myself, your head’s got to be on a swivel. You have to constantly be watching. And it’s even harder when you have a child with special needs,” said Hedgepeth. “Keep watching those children, keep your eyes and focus on them as much as you can. But unfortunately, you know things like this do happen. Tragedies do happen.”
WTOP’s Dick Uliano contributed to this report.
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