Divers find missing autistic boy's body in pond

KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas - Divers found the body of a missing 6-year-old boy in a pond early Monday morning.

Dalton Robertson was reported missing from his home in Kaufman County on Sunday. His parents said they last saw him around 3:30 p.m. and then two hours later they discovered he was no longer inside their house.

The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office said Dalton was autistic. The family’s doors were locked but they believe he found a key and walked out.

Volunteers, firefighters, state and local authorities all fanned in the densely rural area around the little boy's house to search for him. A K-9 team also helped on the ground and helicopter helped in the air.

They discovered the worst around 2 a.m. Monday. Divers found Dalton’s body in the pond not far from his home.

The sheriff’s office said until more is known, the case is being investigated as a homicide.

“At this point, we’re treating it as a crime scene. We’ll do a crime scene on it and follow up everything. We’ll wind up going to the ME’s office to get a ruling there. But we’ll treat it just like a crime scene and we’ll follow up and make sure there’s no foul play,” said Sheriff Bryan Beavers.

The medical examiner will determine exactly how Dalton died.