PEARLAND, Texas (KTRK) — Pearland police said their search for a missing 7-year-old girl with autism has come to an end after she was found dead in a pond in the local neighborhood on Wednesday.
According to the Pearland Police Department, Skylar Hopson, a 7-year-old with autism who has been described as being nonverbal, wandered away from home with her iPad in the 2000 block of Sunset Springs Drive at about 9:10 a.m. She was last seen wearing a tie-dye dress, according to officials.
Police said they used K9’s, drones, and the Houston Police Department’s helicopter in the area to search for Hopson.
An Amber Alert was issued in connection to this incident, with officials saying it was issued due to Hopson having autism and being nonverbal. Police said there was no indication or evidence that Hopson was abducted.
According to authorities, K9s were able to track Hopson’s scent to a nearby retention pond, which aligned with pings from her iPad. At about 2:45 p.m., Hopson was recovered from the pond with assistance from the Houston Dive Team, officials said. Hopson was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Pearland PD thanked other law enforcement for assistance in the search, including TEXSAR and their K-9, as well as the local community.
This is a developing story. Eyewitness News is continuing to gather facts.
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This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.