Pennsylvania: Body of 5-Year-Old Boy With Autism Found in Canal

In this Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, photo, a police helicopter searches East Allentown, Pa., as the search continues in the evening for Jayliel Vega Batista, a missing 5-year-old autistic boy who wandered off from a New Year's Eve party on Thursday night. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call via AP) THE EXPRESS-TIMES OUT; WFMZ OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

ALLENTOWN, Pa.  — The body of a 5-year-old Pennsylvania boy with autism was found in a canal about a quarter mile from a relative’s home where the boy wandered away, barefoot and without a coat, during a New Year’s Eve party, authorities announced Saturday.

Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim said an autopsy Monday will help determine when Jayliel Vega Batista entered the water at Canal Park in Allentown.

“Preliminarily, this is being considered a tragic accident,” Allentown police Chief Keith Morris said at the same Saturday evening news conference.

In this Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, photo, Allentown, Pa., police use a search and rescue dog in Keck Park as the search continues for Jayliel Vega Batista, a missing 5-year-old autistic boy who wandered off from a New Year's Eve party on Thursday night. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call via AP) THE EXPRESS-TIMES OUT; WFMZ OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

ADDS DATELINE OF ALLENTOWN, PA - In this Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, photo, Allentown police and members of the Northeast Search and Rescue team search along a stretch of railroad tracks in Allentown, Pa., as the search continues for Jayliel Vega Batista, a missing 5-year-old autistic boy who wandered off from a New Year's Eve party on Thursday night. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call via AP) THE EXPRESS-TIMES OUT; WFMZ OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

Earlier in the day, police Capt. Glen Dorney said 20 search-and-rescue dog teams were looking for Jayliel and crews were recanvassing his neighborhood because a search of nearby woods and other possible locations showed no signs of the boy.

The boy was visiting his great-aunt’s home for the holiday, and left barefoot and without any kind of outerwear, police said.

The residents of Allentown, about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia, joined the search for the boy without being asked. Police had to ask some volunteers to stop because there were so many, instead urging residents to search their properties, including parked cars and any places the boy might be hiding or seeking refuge from the cold.

Mayor Ed Pawlowski commended the volunteers and others who tried in vain to find the boy.

“This is a sad day in the conclusion of our search,” the mayor said. “This is a sad day in our city.”