PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A missing 6-year-old girl who had autism and was non-verbal was tragically pronounced dead after her body was found in a body of water near West Palm Beach on Tuesday night, authorities said.
Teri Barbera, a spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, said the body of Aleenah Fenelus was found about two hours after she was last seen at 7:15 p.m. in the 3600 block of Timberline Drive in a townhouse complex.
Barbera said that after an exhaustive search using deputies, a search and rescue K9, and a sheriff's office helicopter, Fenelus' body was found in a body of water behind the complex.
Fenelus was taken to a local hospital, where she was tragically pronounced dead.
The sheriff's office said Fenelus had autism and was non-verbal.
"It was bath time," Fenelus' mother, Farah, told WPTV on Tuesday night. "I went to get her PJs. By the time I put her PJs on the bed, she vanished. I looked all over the house. She wasn't there. So I checked the back and I noticed she pushed the door open and left the house."
Fenelus had never done that before, according to her mother.
