Deerfield Township firefighters joined a multi-agency search Saturday, Oct. 10, for a missing 10-year-old nonverbal autistic boy who was found dead in a subdivision pond in neighboring Hamilton Township.

Hamilton Township police received a report around 2:08 p.m. that the boy's family could not find him near Hammerwood Court, Fox 19 reported. Officers, Hamilton Township Fire and Rescue personnel and Deerfield Township firefighters spread out across the area. Both townships are in Warren County.

The search covered the pond, the surrounding neighborhood and common areas of the subdivision.

First responders found the boy in the pond and pronounced him dead at the scene, according to WLWT. Hamilton Township police said there is no indication of foul play. The investigation remains open.

Police have not released the boy's name.

The death follows what WLWT described as a string of similar drownings involving children in the Greater Cincinnati area over the past year. Those cases prompted new legislation in Ohio and Kentucky aimed at faster alerts when a child with autism goes missing.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed the Joshua Alert into law on June 18. The law requires local law enforcement to immediately notify the statewide emergency alert system when a child with autism or another developmental disability is reported missing. Previously, agencies generally were not required to alert the statewide system during the first 24 hours of a missing-child case.

The law is named for Joshua Al-Lateef Jr., a 6-year-old nonverbal boy with autism from West Chester who was found dead in a pond at his family's apartment complex on Nov. 21, 2024, after being missing for 28 hours.

Kyle Erdeljac, testifying on behalf of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police during legislative hearings in June 2026, said: "Many children with autism are non-verbal and unable to communicate. They may not appreciate danger the same way as you or I."

It is unclear from available reports whether the Joshua Alert was activated in Saturday's case.

Hamilton Township police are leading the investigation. Anyone with information can contact the Hamilton Township Police Department.