The Lucas County Coroner’s Office isn’t sure how a three-year-old boy with autism died. Toledo, Ohio police found his body in a pool after a six-day search for the toddler. Searchers discovered the body of a child in the pool of the apartment complex Braylen Noble vanished from last Friday. The apartment complex had shut down and covered the pool for the season. Police said they previously searched the pool but decided to revisit the location.
The Lucas County Coroner’s Office said, “The autopsy on Braylen Noble showed no anatomic cause of death and no gross evidence of trauma. Drowning has not yet been ruled out as a cause of death, but further studies and investigation are needed before the final ruling is issued.”
Child Vanished Friday
The FBI offered $5000 for information that lead to the safe return of the missing toddler with autsim. Three-year-old Braylen Noble disappeared from a Toledo, Ohio apartment complex on Friday, September 4 right around noon. The tot was last seen wearing a red and white Mickey Mouse Shirt. Braylen’s mother said she believed he fell out of the bedroom window of their third-story apartment. She did not see it happen but said she found the boy missing and the screen pushed out of the window.
Massive Search For Missing Boy
The apartment complex is located close to a wooded park area with a creek and also sits close to a very busy street. Toledo Police, Toledo Fire and Rescue Department, and Toledo Metroparks Officers immediately searched the area for signs of the boy.
At the time, Toledo police reported they were actively searching “surrounding buildings, dumpsters, under vehicles, and more. Drones are in the air, TFRD Water Rescue is working Swan Creek, K9s are also being utilized.”
Here’s another look at Braylen.
Despite that effort, there was no sign of the toddler. The search continued through the weekend. Police did find a bloody blanket but the boy’s mother told them it did not belong to him. Officers also stumbled across a recently dug hole, but still so sign of the boy. Incredibly, police did find another toddler matching Braylen’s description wandering overnight. But that child was not the missing boy. Officer managed to locate his parents.
Braylen has autism and is non-verbal which complicates search efforts. Volunteers and first responders continued the search on Monday and Tuesday. While Toledo is a pretty big city, Swan Creek Metropark is densely wooded with lots of wildlife. It’s possible for a small child to get lost pretty easily.