A 4-year-old boy in Florida drowned last Thursday after waking up from a nap and straying away from his sleeping father.
Kash Waylan Hodges was found in a retention pond in Gainesville, Florida. He wandered out of Celeste’s Pet Spa and Mobile Grooming, the pet spa where his mother works.
The father and son took a nap together at the business, but when the father woke up, Kash was gone.
Mother Taychianna Figueroa told WGFL that Kash’s father “shot out” the door quickly to find him. After the parents called out the child’s name, Kash’s father found him in the retention pond and pulled him out.
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Kash Waylan Hodges, a mildly autistic 4-year-old boy, was found in a retention pond after wandering away from his father. (Celeste Gomes)
According to Gainesville Police Department, the boy was missing for several minutes. Officials believe he fell into the pond.
“Police responded at 5:25pm and upon arrival found the child unresponsive,” Gainesville Police Department said in a Facebook post.
Emergency responders performed CPR on the child before transporting him to a local hospital. Kash passed away 45 minutes later.
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Gainesville police officers believe Kash fell into the pond after he was missing for several minutes. (Gainesville Police Department via Face Book)
The grieving mother said that her son, who was mildly autistic, had celebrated his 4th birthday on Valentine’s Day.
“They said his heart couldn’t restart, his heart wasn’t restarted. They did everything they can and I lost it,” Figueroa told WGFL. “I grieve that day. I screamed at the top of my lungs, ‘Why me?'”
The owner of Celeste’s Pet Spa and Mobile Grooming started a GoFundMe to assist the heartbroken family with funeral expenses.
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“[Figueroa] just started working for me two months ago, and her son stole my heart,” the GoFundMe reads. “This is her only child, and this is absolutely devastating.”
