This South Carolina school currently mourns an 8 year old boy that goes missing. Sadly, authorities finally find him dead at a nearby pond.
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Recently, Lionel Ramirez Cervantes wanders away from Bells Crossing Elementary School. The Greensville County Sheriff's Office shares that he disappears a little after 11 in the morning on Thursday, September 12th. The last time anyone sees him is in at the school playground.
Moreover, the local school district says the boy sits in a classroom with two other students and a few staff members. Apparently, he has autism and the school describes him as relatively nonverbal. Then, Lionel suddenly runs away and a chase ensues. However, staff members lose sight of him completely when Cervantes goes up a hill and past the fence of the campus. By that point, he effectively vanishes into tall grass. Unfortunately, the last time they see the boy is dead in a small pond by the school.
The School Reacts to The Tragedy of the 8 Year Old Boy
School principal Chris Ross writes a statement, trying to cobble the words together after such a tragedy. "This was our worst fear today, and we are grieving as a community. We are devastated to lose one of our children," he writes of the boy. "We will bind together with the support of the district. It's a tragedy we can't make sense over. We are of course supporting the student's family in any way we can, along with our students and staff. Thank you for your support of one another during this incredibly difficult time."
The school superintendent remains grateful that the staff members did what they could to try and save the boy. Additionally, school officials stress that they train their staff members on how to respond to these sorts of incidents. They say, "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)."
