SEBRING - A call to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office regarding a missing 3-year-old boy ended in tragedy Saturday, when the boy was found dead in a family pool.
Sheriff's deputies were called to the 2000 block of Van Pelt Road, off of Arbuckle Creek Road, and began searching for the boy some time around 2:25 p.m., Saturday, according to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office.
Family members and friends had been searching when deputies arrived. Supervisors called for air support, K-9 search teams and deputies on four wheelers.
A sheriff's dive team was called to search the murky family pool.
A member of the sheriff's dive team, deputy Dan Wilson, actually was the one who jumped into the pool and located the boy's body, said Sheriff's Lt. Kenny Johnson.
Highlands County Emergency Medical Services staff arrived, but the boy could not be resuscitated.
The sheriff's office also dispatched a victim's advocate to help the family through its emotional trauma. The name of the child and his family has not yet been released.
An autopsy was performed Sunday at the medical examiner's office and the boy's death was ruled as an accidental drowning.
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