PSL Boy's Autism Drowning Is Third Since November, Chief Says

PORT ST. LUCIE — Zam Tuang left his Southwest Crean Terrace home at 7:15 p.m. Monday. He was 5 years old, nonverbal, and could not swim. His family searched for nearly 45 minutes before calling 911. By 11 p.m., he was dead — pulled from a pond less than a mile from his front door.

His death is not an isolated tragedy. It is the third drowning death of a child with autism in Port St. Lucie since November 2024, Police Chief Leo Niemczyk confirmed at a Tuesday news conference.

"Since I became head of this department, this is the third child with autism who has drowned," Niemczyk said.

He did not identify the victims in the two prior cases at the news conference. The Sentinel is seeking those records from PSLPD. According to available information,

Surveillance video recovered by investigators showed Zam opening two garage doors to exit the residence — evidence, Niemczyk said, that the family had taken "many, many" steps to secure the home. The boy then walked east on foot toward the body of water where he would be found at the intersection of Southwest Juliet Boulevard and Southwest Hampshire Lane at approximately 9:45 p.m.

Officers deployed a drone, a K-9 bloodhound unit, and additional road patrol before locating the child. Resuscitation efforts failed.

The 45-minute gap between when Zam went missing and when his family called 911 is a detail Niemczyk addressed directly — and carefully.

"Immediately dial 911," the chief said. "It's human nature to attempt to locate your child. Get us rolling as soon as possible. Don't be afraid that we get there and you locate them. We're going to be happy about that."

Niemczyk stopped short of assigning blame to the family. No charges have been filed, and the drowning is classified as accidental with no evidence of foul play.

But the chief's public statement carries an implicit message: in autism elopement cases, minutes matter.

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children with autism who wander, according to the National Autism Association According to available information,. Children with autism are 160 times more likely to drown than neurotypical peers. Port St. Lucie's rate of three such deaths in roughly five months is striking for a single municipality.

Prevention resources exist. Project Lifesaver International, a program used by law enforcement agencies nationwide, equips at-risk individuals with radio-frequency tracking bracelets that allow officers to locate a wandering person within minutes. Whether PSLPD currently operates an active Project Lifesaver program — and how many local families are enrolled — was not confirmed at the news conference. The Sentinel has requested that information. According to available information,

St. Lucie County also has no publicly listed aquatic safety program specifically targeting children with developmental disabilities, though several neighboring counties operate pool-fencing assistance initiatives.

Niemczyk announced that PSLPD will host an autism community event April 18 at 9 a.m. at a community center across from the police station. The event is intended to connect families with prevention resources and safety planning tools.

That event comes too late for Zam Tuang. The question now is whether Port St. Lucie — a city that has buried three children with autism in five months — is doing enough between events.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.