A six-year-old girl has drowned after she reportedly snuck out of her home and entered a neighbor's pool. Melinda Xie, who was autistic and nonverbal, was pronounced dead by first responders who administered CPR, according to a media release from the town of Wendell.
Investigators believe the girl slipped out of her family's home on Garden Club Way in Wendell, North Carolina, and walked into the adjacent backyard. The neighbors were reportedly unaware of the girl's presence until the drowning occurred.
Xie was a student at Garden Carver Elementary School in Wendell. Accidental drowning is a leading cause of death for individuals with autism. The National Autism Association (NAA) reports that children with autism are 160 times more likely to drown than their neurotypical peers. A six-year study by the NAA indicated that accidental drowning accounted for 71% of deaths related to autism wandering or elopement. Furthermore, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental deaths for children ages five to 14, according to the CDC.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Town of Wendell and Garden Carver Elementary School for further comment.