Body of 5-year-old with autism found in canal

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The body of a 5-year-old Pennsylvania boy with autism was found in a canal about a quarter mile from a relative’s home where the boy wandered away, barefoot and without a coat, during a New Year’s Eve party, authorities said Saturday.

Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim said an autopsy Monday will help determine when Jayliel Vega Batista entered the water at Canal Park in Allentown.

“Preliminarily, this is being considered a tragic accident,” Allentown police Chief Keith Morris said.

The boy went missing about 10:30 p.m. Thursday, after family members told police he was playing with a tablet computer with other children before he simply wandered away without being immediately noticed. Temperatures were near freezing Friday night into Saturday.

Search dogs tracked the boy’s scent to the canal, where a searcher found the tablet early Saturday afternoon. That prompted police to call in fire department divers who found the boy’s body about 8 feet from shore, in 6 feet of water, authorities said.

“At this point, we don’t believe there was any foul play involved,” Morris said. But police were continuing their investigation in hopes of pinpointing where, how and why the boy may have entered the water.

The chief couldn’t say whether anyone might face charges because the boy wandered away. Authorities took care to note they were attempting to assist the boy’s grieving family.