Police said the 5-year-old, who was nonverbal and on the autism spectrum, was located shortly before 11:30 p.m. Monday.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The body of 5-year-old Neymir Luka Valere was recovered from a neighborhood lake late Monday after an hourslong search that began in the 5200 block of Northwest Wisk Fern Circle, according to Port St. Lucie police.
Authorities said Valere was last seen around 4:30 p.m. Monday near his home, prompting a large response that brought officers, specialized units and neighbors into the streets and yards of the Torino-area subdivision. Police said foul play is not suspected at this time, and the investigation remains open as detectives document the scene, interview witnesses and coordinate with the medical examiner. The recovery came as residents joined officers combing the neighborhood, a search that expanded from doorsteps to retention lakes as daylight faded and aviation and marine assets were called in.
Officers were dispatched after relatives reported the child missing, police said. Units spread out on foot and by bicycle through Wisk Fern Circle and surrounding blocks as patrol cars blocked intersections and a helicopter circled overhead. Police divers and marine officers were sent to check nearby bodies of water, while K-9 teams tracked along sidewalks and grassy swales. “Foul play is not suspected at this time,” Port St. Lucie police said late Monday as the search shifted to water. Shortly before 11:30 p.m., officers said they located the child in a lake within the neighborhood and notified the family. Neighbors described a steady flow of flashlights and patrols as the effort continued into the night.
Police identified the child as Neymir Luka Valere and said he was nonverbal and on the autism spectrum. Earlier in the search, officers shared that he had been last seen wearing a red shirt and a diaper with no shoes, and that he may have left the residence on foot. The initial missing-child call for service was logged Monday evening; one police summary noted an 8:08 p.m. response time, with the last-seen time at about 4:30 p.m. on Wisk Fern Circle. The search brought in multiple resources, including road patrol, K-9 units, drone operators, the department’s Marine Unit and Dive Team, and aerial support from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. The boy was recovered just before 11:30 p.m., police said.
Authorities have not released an official cause or manner of death. Those determinations will come from the medical examiner following an autopsy and toxicology review, a process that can take days or longer depending on lab work. Investigators on Tuesday continued standard procedures that follow a child death in a residential area: securing the recovery site, canvassing homes for video, collecting timelines from relatives and neighbors, and documenting previous calls for service in the immediate area. Police said they do not suspect criminal activity based on the evidence collected so far.
The case echoes other recent searches in Port St. Lucie that drew large emergency responses to neighborhood lakes and canals. In August, a separate missing-child case ended with a recovery in water after another hourslong search that used K-9 teams, drones and divers. City neighborhoods are threaded with retention ponds and lakes that sit behind homes or along cul-de-sacs, features common across the Treasure Coast and South Florida. Police said those water bodies are routinely checked whenever a child or vulnerable person is reported missing near them, especially after sunset when visibility drops.
Detectives are preparing a case file for the medical examiner and will update the public when the autopsy findings are complete. No criminal charges have been announced. If additional interviews or forensic results prompt new steps, police said they will release them in a follow-up bulletin. As of Tuesday morning, officers were finalizing reports, logging evidence, and confirming the timeline between the 4:30 p.m. last-seen report and the 11:30 p.m. recovery. Any future briefings would be scheduled once investigators receive the medical examiner’s preliminary report.
Residents on Wisk Fern Circle described a quiet subdivision lit by patrol car headlights and the beam of a helicopter as search teams moved from door to door and along the lakeside. Some neighbors said they joined officers with flashlights, walking the sidewalks and scanning hedges while police set up along the water’s edge. A man who lives nearby said he saw an officer towing a small boat into the area as the search expanded toward the retention lake. Others recalled bicycles, K-9 handlers and divers entering the scene as dusk turned to night, while officers asked anyone with cameras to check for activity from late afternoon into the evening.
Police said the investigation remains active, with cause and manner of death pending autopsy results. Detectives plan to review any additional home surveillance and finalize their timeline on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Further updates are expected after the medical examiner completes initial findings.
Author note: Last updated November 18, 2025.