In South Carolina, authorities discovered an 8-year-old child dead after he wandered away from his school.

Lionel Ramirez Cervantes vanished from Bells Crossing Elementary School at approximately 11:10 a.m. local time on Thursday, September 12, according to a statement from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. The last time I saw him was near the school playground.

“Multiple school staff members” chased the student after he fled from a classroom with two other students and three staff members, according to a statement from Greenville County Schools.

Staff members who pursued the student were unable to see him when “he went up a hill, past a fence off campus, and into a field with very high grass.”

At 3 p.m., authorities and school officials say dive team members discovered the boy’s remains in a body of water off Lenox Lake Drive near the school.

Cervantes had autism and was “somewhat nonverbal,” according to the GCSO.

“This was our worst fear today, and we are grieving as a community,” said Chris Ross, principal of Bell’s Crossing Elementary School, in a statement. “We are devastated to lose one of our children.”

He went on to say, “We will band together with the support of the district.” We can’t make sense of this catastrophe. We are, of course, assisting the student’s family in any way we can, along with our students and staff. Thank you for supporting one another at this really tough time.”

“Words are insufficient to describe this tragedy,” added GCS Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster in her own statement, thanking those who responded to the student’s abduction. “Our hearts and prayers are with this family and school community. ”

According to schools, “appropriate GCS personnel, including staff at Bell’s Crossing Elementary, receive numerous trainings in the management of student behaviors, including specific training regarding elopement (a term that includes several behaviors, such as running away).”

“Please understand that the safety of students is always our top priority,” the officials said.

School authorities have made grief counselors available to assist our kids and staff in coping with Thursday’s tragedy.

According to FOX station WHNS, the Greenville County coroner said there was no evidence of substantial trauma or foul play in Cervantes’ death.

Sheriff Hobart Lewis told CBS station WSPA, “There are a lot of broken hearts in the school and this community today.” “We want to thank the community for coming out to look for this young man.” We had a large number of people turn out to assist in searching the woods for him.