Body of missing Nigerian boy found in U.S. lake
The community of Richmond in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, was plunged into mourning after the body of an eight-year-old Nigerian boy, Ryan Akagbusi, was tragically recovered from a lake in the area.
Texas authorities identified the boy as a non-verbal minor and reported him missing after he vanished from his Richmond home around 4:30 a.m. on August 24, 2024.
Newsmen learned on Tuesday that the boy was later found dead on August 25, 2024.
There are reports that the county Sheriff’s Office’s official Facebook page was flooded with community members offering to help the authorities search for the missing boy following an appeal to residents for any information that might aid in locating the minor.
Shortly after the announcement, newsmen, who monitored the Sheriff’s Office’s official Facebook page on Tuesday, observed an outpouring of shock and sympathy from residents and mourners as they flooded the page with condolences for the grieving family.
A resident known as Tacoma Burden wrote, “I’m praying hard for this family. It’s my worst nightmare as a parent with a child on the spectrum.
“Checking multiple times is always key, not just once. We just had another child found in a retention pond not too long ago, which the police said they had searched before, and she was recovered from the same place.”
Another concerned resident, Chris Miller, said, “The importance of checking repeatedly is so crucial! This poor baby was found in a lake they had already searched. It’s so heartbreaking.”
One follower, Adriana Castorena, called for schools to incorporate swimming lessons into their curriculum to help prevent similar tragedies in the future. She expressed her concern, stating, “We are failing them. Life skills programs in schools should include swimming classes. Praying for the family.”
A resident, Rita Hedt, urged community authorities to implement stricter safety measures, suggesting that “all retention ponds should follow swimming pool regulations—fenced off with locked gates!” to ensure the safety of children, adults, and others.
Texas resident Christina Kohl shared her sorrow, noting that “the same thing happened to a little girl in the Cross Creek neighborhood this past June. She was around the same age and also non-verbal autistic.”
A similar tragedy befell another Nigerian autistic 12-year-old girl, Aisha Adebayo, who reportedly drowned accidentally in late June in a lake near her home in Fulshear, a city in northwestern Fort Bend County.
Local news outlet ABC13 reported that authorities stated Adebayo was last seen walking away from her home on Aaron River Trail at night.
The police had requested that neighbors check their backyards and inside their cars throughout the night and early morning, as Aisha was known to hide in such places in the past.
Her body was eventually recovered by divers at around 4:45 a.m. the following day.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at Neptune Prime.
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