Community
Missing Massachusetts 6-year-old found deceased; authorities release details
A missing Massachusetts boy has been found deceased, authorities say.
According to police, on Sunday, just before 9:15 p.m., the Westford Police Department responded to a residence on Chestnut Road in the Nabnasset section of town for the report of a missing six-year-old. The six-year-old was identified as Zayan Mayanja, a non-verbal Autistic child, who had escaped his residence through a window. All available Westford Police officers immediately undertook a search for the child on surrounding streets, nearby parks, and neighborhoods. The Westford Police K-9 Unit along with neighboring K-9 Units quickly responded to the area to assist in the search. Along with Police K-9 teams, law enforcement utilized various search techniques including drones, deploying a boat in Nabnasset Lake, distributing a RAVE (reverse 911 alert) to the area residents, and the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing to locate Zayan. The Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) provided additional K9 Units, drones, and communications personnel to the scene to assist with the search.
At approximately 12:08 a.m., on Monday, Zayan was located in the water of Nabnasset Lake behind a residence on Lake Shore Drive South by a NEMLEC K9 Unit and a Westford Police Officer. Life saving measures, including CPR, were immediately rendered by the initial officers who located Zayan, and soon thereafter by the Westford Fire Department. Westford Fire Department transported Zayan to Lowell General Hospital. While at Lowell General Hospital Zayan was pronounced deceased.
The investigation remains on going and is being conducted by the Westford Police Department Special Services Division along with Massachusetts State Police Troopers assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.
The Westford Police Department extended its deepest condolences to Zayan’s family and friends and thanked all the officers and telecommunicators from the Westford Police Department who aided in this search along with the various agencies that assisted in the search including the Massachusetts State Police, Chelmsford Police Department, the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, and the Westford Fire Department. The Westford Police Department also thanked the residents of the area for providing tips and abiding by the requests in the RAVE alert.
Zayan was a member of the Westford Public Schools family and grief counselors will be made available to any friends or family members that need assistance during this time.
If you are a Westford resident and have a family member that is on the Autism spectrum, or suffers from another cognitive condition, PD encourage you to contact the Westford Police Department at 978-399-2345 and sign up for the department’s cognitive alert registration program, as this will greatly assist law enforcement in locating your loved one if they were to ever go missing.
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Sad
June 24, 2024 at 9:18 pm
sososo sad such a beautiful child , most people are not aware that autistic children LOVE the water and will gravitate to it for sensory stimuli , my autistic 6 y/o g/s will float in our pool for as long as I allow him to ,sometimes up to an hour before I have to bribe him to come out with a promise of ” we need to stay safe from the sun and go inside for 30 minutes and then come back my love” ,we spend our summers in the pool and the rest of the year at the Y .thank goodness in the past year he has become somewhat verbal , all his clothing , shoe tags, car seat etc. are labeled Autistic child , as he is also an escape artist and runner like this little boy , my heart goes out to this family .