Body of missing 6-year-old nonverbal, autistic boy surfaces in Maryland pond

Following a more than 24-hour intense search, police in Maryland said they recovered the body of a 6-year-old autistic boy who vanished at a park over the weekend.

Fawzan Hassan, who was nonverbal, disappeared from a Montgomery County park while on an outing with his family.

The boy was reported missing from Bohrer Park around 3 p.m. Saturday, according to Montgomery County Department of Police .

The park is in Gaithersburg, just over 20 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.

"An extensive search" for the boy continued through Sunday, when his body surfaced in the pond at Bohrer Park at 5:25 p.m., police posted on the agency's website.

Police were alerted to the pond after they reported members of the community spotted it earlier on Sunday.

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A body in the water near the playground

Officials said Montgomery County Police Managed Search Operations Team personnel, the group coordinating the search, responded to the pond, recovered the body. and positively identified it as the missing boy.

Maryland National Capital Park Police, Gaithersburg Police, Maryland State Police, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services and Midatlantic Dog Search and Rescue assisted in the case.

An autopsy conducted by the Maryland Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the boy's cause and manner of death.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.