Missing Florida boy's body found at Ormond Beach park, hours after he disappeared, police say

A missing 4-year-old boy in Ormond Beach has been found dead, police said late Sunday in a tragic update. The body of Waylon Childs was recovered around 9 p.m. by the Volusia County Dive Team, Ormond Beach Police said in a news release.

The boy's body was found in Central Park, 601 Fleming Avenue, where law enforcement and the public spent hours searching for him on Sunday afternoon and evening.

"This is a heartbreaking tragedy, and our hearts are with Waylon's family during this unimaginable loss," said Ormond Police Chief Jesse Godfrey in a statement.

"We would like to thank the community and all the agencies involved for their support and efforts during this search. The Ormond Beach Police Department remains committed to standing with the family and our community in the days ahead."

A Florida Missing Child Alert was issued shortly after 1 p.m.

Police said the boy, his father, and two of his siblings were all at Central Park earlier on Sunday – three boys all under the age of five. At some point, Waylon disappeared and was unable to be found.

Police said Waylon was autistic and nonverbal.

An Australian accused of smuggling amphetamines in a suitcase appeared in a Japanese court on Monday nearly two years after her arrest, saying she is innocent and that she was tricked into carrying them as part of an online romance scam. Donna Nelson from Perth, Australia, was arrested at Japan's Narita International Airport just outside Tokyo when customs officials found about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of stimulants, or phenylaminopropane, hidden in a double-bottom suitcase she was carrying. Nelson, 58, said she received the suitcase from an acquaintance of a man she met on social media in 2020, and brought it from Laos to Tokyo as instructed.