8-Year-Old Boy Last Seen at School Playground Is Found Dead in Nearby Pond: 'a Lot of Broken Hearts'

An 8-year-old boy has been found dead after he wandered away from his school in South Carolina.

Lionel Ramirez Cervantes disappeared from Bells Crossing Elementary School around 11:10 a.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 12, according to a statement from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office. He was last seen near the school’s playground.

Greenville County Schools said in a statement, "The student was in a classroom with 2 other students and 3 staff members” when he ran away, and was pursued by “multiple school staff members.” 

Staff members who gave chase were no longer able to see the student after “he went up a hill, beyond a fence off campus and into a field with very high grass.”

Authorities and school officials said the boy’s remains were found around 3 p.m. by dive team members in a body of water off Lenox Lake Drive near the school.

Cervantes had autism and was “somewhat nonverbal,” according to the GCSO.

“This was our worst fear today, and we are grieving as a community,” said Chris Ross, Principal of Bell's Crossing Elementary School in a statement. “We are devastated to lose one of our children.” 

He added, “We will bind together with the support of the district. It’s a tragedy we can’t make sense over. We are of course supporting the student’s family in any way we can, along with our students and staff. Thank you for your support of one another during this incredibly difficult time.”

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“Words are not sufficient to describe this tragedy,” said GCS Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster in her own statement, in which she thanked those who responded to the student’s disappearance. “Our hearts and prayers are with this family and school community.”

School officials said, “appropriate GCS personnel, including staff at Bell’s Crossing Elementary, receive numerous trainings in the management of student behaviors, including specific training regarding elopement (a term which includes a number of behaviors such as running away).”

“Please understand that the safety of students is always our top priority,” they added.

Grief counselors were made available to support our students and staff following Thursday’s tragedy, according to school officials.

The Greenville County coroner said there were no signs of significant trauma or foul play in connection with Cervantes’ death, according to FOX affiliate WHNS.

“A lot of broken hearts in the school and this community today,” said Sheriff Hobart Lewis, per CBS affiliate WSPA. “We want to thank this community that came out to look for this young man. We had numerous volunteers show up try to help search the woods to locate him.”