Officer saves missing 3-year-old child from potential drowning: Video captures dramatic rescue

A 3-year-old child who went missing was rescued from an above-ground pool last month in Indiana, with the dramatic footage of the rescue captured on camera.

The toddler, who has autism, went missing from home around 2:20 p.m. on Sept. 22, the Fort Wayne Police Department said in a news release Wednesday, adding that the department was "called to the scene to help locate the frightened child."

"Officers searched the child's residence and the surrounding area looking for the child," police said. Officer Evan Meyers was eventually "able to locate and rescue the child from drowning, in an above-ground pool."

Body-cam video released by police shows the officer walking in what appears to be a backyard before running towards a pool, where the child can be seen floating.

"I found him," the officer can be heard saying in the video. "He's in a pool. Two houses south backyard."

Meyers then proceeds to gently grab the howling toddler and placates the child as he holds him in his arms.

"Come here buddy," the officer can be heard saying. "Hey. Hey you okay. He's breathing (and is) conscious."

Toddler had tendency to wander, liked swimming, father says

The child's father, Alex Calvillo, told WPTA that his son had a tendency to wander and liked swimming.

Wandering, also known as elopement, is the tendency for an individual to leave a safe setting, like a home. The behavior is seen in nearly half of children with autism and can lead to fatal outcomes like drownings or traffic accidents, according to the National Autism Association.

Calvillo told WPTA that he discovered his son was missing when a friend asked him where the child was.

"So, I was like, he should've been on the couch watching his tablet," Calvillo, told WPTA. "I look out the kitchen doorway and see that the garage door was open, so I immediately ran out and started looking for him and couldn't find him."

Her boy wandered from home and died.This mom wants you to know the perils of 'elopement.'

The police were notified about the missing child, and they were able to locate him floating on his back in a neighbor's pool after Meyers heard a cry from a nearby backyard, as per WPTA.

"Every time, since he was one, when we would go swimming in the summer, I've kind of held him on his back so he could try and float above water. I'm pretty sure that's what played a role in him wanting to stay there," Calvillo told the local media outlet.

The family said they were extremely grateful to Myers for saving their son

"I definitely want to give him a huge thanks, I can't describe how grateful I am for him. It definitely means a lot to us and our family," Calvillo told WPTA.

Further details about how the child escaped from home and ended up in pool were not immediately available. The Fort Wayne Police Department did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for further information on the incident.

The family, meanwhile, told the media that they plan to put up a fence of their own to prevent future incidents.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.