The 6-year-old had been reported missing from a southwest Miami-Dade home before deputies found him in nearby water.
MIAMI-DADE, FL — A 6-year-old boy died Tuesday night after he wandered from a southwest Miami-Dade home and was pulled from a nearby pond by a sheriff’s deputy, authorities said.
The death is being investigated by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Homicide Bureau, a standard step in a fatal child incident. Deputies, fire rescue crews, family members and neighbors were drawn into a search that began with a missing-child call near Southwest 284th Street and 142nd Avenue.
Authorities said the child’s family reported him missing Tuesday evening from a home in the area. Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputies responded shortly after 6:15 p.m. and began searching nearby streets and properties. Detective Joseph Peguero said deputies reached the scene within about three minutes of the call. Aviation and K-9 units were requested as the search expanded. During the search, a deputy checked a nearby body of water and found the child. “Our deputies arrived three minutes right after this call, and they began to search for this child,” Peguero said.
The deputy jumped into the water, pulled the boy out and began lifesaving efforts, authorities said. Other deputies assisted with CPR until Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived. The child was airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital in critical condition. Officials said lifesaving efforts continued at the hospital, but the boy later died. Investigators have not said exactly how long the child had been missing before the 911 call, how far he traveled from the home or how he entered the pond. Authorities also have not released a full public account of how he was able to leave the home without being noticed.
Family members identified the child in local interviews as King Dixon and described him as a loving boy who was on the autism spectrum. His grandmother, Loustanie Dorval, said the family was stunned by how quickly the night turned into a tragedy. “This is a dream,” Dorval said as she spoke about the boy’s death. An aunt, Vanessa Welsey, said King loved water, astronauts, the color green and fruit. She said the family would remember his routines, his playfulness and the small details that shaped daily life with him.
The search unfolded in a residential part of southwest Miami-Dade, where homes, canals and ponds sit close to each other in some neighborhoods. Reports described the water as a pond or canal near the area where deputies were searching. The sheriff’s office has not released a final map of the boy’s route from the home to the water. The case also drew attention because it happened just before the Memorial Day holiday period, when water safety concerns often rise across South Florida. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said drowning remains a leading danger for children in Miami-Dade and pointed to county efforts that expanded swim lessons and water safety education.
No arrests or charges had been announced by Wednesday. The Homicide Bureau’s role means detectives will review the timeline, interview family members and witnesses, examine the area around the home and pond, and determine whether any neglect or other criminal issue was involved. Officials have not said that any crime occurred. The investigation remained open, and authorities had not released a final cause or manner of death beyond saying the boy died after being pulled from the water. Any final ruling would depend on investigative findings and medical review.
Relatives said the loss has left the family searching for answers. One family member said the boy was “always playing” and that his sudden death would affect the family for the rest of their lives. Peguero said deputies did what they could after arriving at the scene. “It is our job to save lives, and our deputies did their best this night,” he said. He said the agency was keeping the family and the deputies involved in the rescue in mind after the fatal call.
The investigation remained active Wednesday, May 20. Detectives had not released additional details on the boy’s movements, the exact location where he entered the water or whether any further public briefing would be held.
Author note: Last updated May 20, 2026.