8-year-old found dead in pond after vanishing near school playground, SC officials say

An 8-year-old boy was found dead in a pond after vanishing near a playground, leaving a South Carolina school district reeling, officials said.

Lionel Ramirez Cervantes was at Bell’s Crossing Elementary School when he ran off just after 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, according to Greenville County Schools.

“The student was in a classroom with 2 other students and 3 staff members,” the district wrote in a Facebook post. “He ran from the classroom and then the building, and multiple school staff members immediately pursued. He went up a hill, beyond a fence off campus, and into a field with very high grass. At that time, staff lost visibility of the student.”

The district said law enforcement officers scoured the area. During the search, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office shared a photo showing the boy running in a hallway before he was last seen near a playground . Deputies said Lionel had autism and was “somewhat nonverbal.”

Then, five hours after the child’s disappearance, officials shared the grim update that Lionel was found dead in a nearby subdivision. Divers reportedly pulled his body from a pond.

“This was our worst fear today, and we are grieving as a community,” Principal Chris Ross said in a statement on the school district’s website. “We are devastated to lose one of our children. We will bind together with the support of the district. It’s a tragedy we can’t make sense over.”

The district said it’s offering counseling services and closed the school building to visitors Sept. 13. The campus is in Simpsonville, a roughly 15-mile drive southeast from Greenville.

“Please understand that the safety of students is always our top priority,” the district wrote. “Appropriate GCS personnel, including staff at Bell’s Crossing Elementary, receive numerous trainings in the management of student behaviors, including specific training regarding elopement (a term which includes a number of behaviors such as running away).”

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office in a news release said an autopsy determined Lionel died from an accidental drowning.

In a news conference, Sheriff Hobart Lewis said no charges were expected , according to a video WYFF shared online.

“Words are not sufficient to describe this tragedy,” Superintendent Burke Royster said in a statement. “ Our hearts and prayers are with this family and school community.”

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