The search has ended for a missing 13-year-old boy with autism after his body was discovered in a small Florida lake over the weekend.
“He was an extremely extraordinary individual,” Charles Kirkland told NBC affiliate WESH of his son, Na’Sean Edward Kirkland, whose body was found on the evening of Sunday, March 22, in Lake Eulalia in Maitland, not far from the family home. “He had regular, kid-like shortcomings, but he showed the affection and the depth of his love and occasionally even said, ‘I love you.’ ”
On Sunday, just after 7:00 p.m. local time, a civilian found the teen’s body in the six-acre body of water north of Lake Avenue, the Maitland Police Department said in a statement. When first responders arrived, they recovered the victim from water approximately 8 feet deep. His body was located about 20 feet from the shoreline.
Officials made a “tentative identification” based on the clothes Na’Sean was last known to be wearing and his appearance, authorities said.
In a statement to PEOPLE, the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office said, “We can confirm that the deceased is Na’Sean Kirkland. The cause of death is drowning.”
The urgent search began on Saturday, March 21, after Na’Sean and his brother disappeared. The children were last seen together when they left their home around 1:30 p.m. His brother was later found off of Lake Sybelia Drive, officials said.
Both boys and the parents’ third son have autism, WESH reported. Charles and his partner, Keasha Jefferson, told the outlet they don’t know how the children got out of the house. They initially began searching for Na’Sean on their own because he had wandered from their home before, but soon realized they needed to alert the police.
Several agencies and neighbors helped in the search, which focused on Lake Sybelia because it was one of Na’Sean’s favorite places, according to the report.
“The police department previously checked Lake Eulalia as well as lakes Catherine and Sybelia in an expansive search without discovery,” the police department said. “Lake Sybelia was the initial focus of investigation due to early eyewitness reports.”
Charles told WESH, “It’s a harrowing experience to even be in this kind of a search for your child.”
The dangers of wandering, or elopement, are a concern for children with autism. According to the National Autism Association, “nearly half of children with autism are at risk for wandering away from a safe setting.” A study conducted by the organization revealed that accidental drowning accounts for 71% of all fatal outcomes. Parents can take multiple steps to help protect their children, including monitoring their behaviors, having an emergency response plan and securing the home, according to the CDC.
Following Na’Sean’s death, his parents are grieving the loss of their loving and “mischievous” child, WESH reported. A friend launched a GoFundMe to help the family cover funeral expenses and to help them move back to their home state of Illinois.
“A lot of parents, you see them taking their kids to amusement parks, taking their kids to the zoo, and different places,” Na’sean’s mom told WESH. “We’re the kind of parents, we had to worry about just taking him out.”
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“We understood that’s how life with him was; we grew to accept it. We wanted to see him become a challenging adult,” Charles added. “But he made sure that he shared himself and his energy and his love every minute.”