STOUGHTON (WKOW) -- Police end a search after finding the body of a missing boy in a Stoughton pond. It's the third drowning in just a month. In early June, two teenagers drowned in Lake Kegonsa, and it's clear that these tragedies are starting to wear on the close-knit community.
Stoughton authorities say besides their emergency crews, about 100 people were out searching the city for 5-year-old Jeremiah Conn. Another child saw the autistic boy near the pond. That other boy told his parents, who called 911 and the search began at about 4:30 Tuesday afternoon.
Crews first began a grid search in the water, but nothing turned up. They eventually had to drain the pond, which was about 5-feet deep in the middle. That's when they found Jeremiah's body.
"We responded immediately, unfortunately the water is pretty murky and is very deep in the center of the pond, so that prevented the initial ability for us to find him right away in the pond," says Stoughton Police Chief Greg Leck.
Despite the heat, emergency crews and volunteers spent several hours searching.
"It just shows how communities the size of Stoughton pull together when something like this happens, we have hard conditions with this type of heat on people, so everybody pulled together to make sure that they were all safe," says Fire Chief Martin Lamers.
Stoughton officials held a debriefing session with all their emergency responders, because searches that end tragically can be especially difficult on crews.
Police say Jeremiah had autism and had minimal verbal skills. His parents told authorities the boy had gone missing about a half hour before the other child found him. The Madison area family was visiting their relatives in Stoughton.
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STOUGHTON (WKOW) -- A tragic end to the search for a missing five-year-old boy Tuesday night.
The body of Jeremiah Conn was pulled from a retention pond near the Stoughton Fire Department around 7:30 p.m.
Crews had to drain the pond during their search.
About 100 people were out assisting in the search, which began around 4:15 p.m.
Jeremiah's family is from Madison, but they were visiting Stoughton and staying at a house nearby.
Jeremiah had autism.
We'll have the latest information on 27 News at 10.
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STOUGHTON (WKOW) -- Stoughton police are looking for a missing boy.
The five-year-old was reported missing around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday.
Officers are searching the area of Sixth St. and Jefferson St. near the Stoughton Fire Department. Crews drained the retention pond near the fire department during their search.
The police department says the boy has autism.
He was wearing a white T-shirt and plaid shorts.
Stoughton police have called a news conference for 8:00 p.m. to give an update on the situation.
We'll have the latest information on www.wkow.com and on 27 News at 10.
