A young boy was found floating in a pond on his family's property Tuesday night near Martin County, Florida.
By ADRIANA TARDUGNO
Published: 21:06 BST, 30 September 2026 | Updated: 22:05 BST, 8 October 2026
A young boy was found floating in a pond on his family's property Tuesday night near Martin County, Florida.
Pablo Mendoza-Arrojo, the 23-month-old boy, was playing outside in the yard with family members at his home in Port Salerno.
According to Martin County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), his mother and aunt noticed he was missing for no more than ten minutes around 5pm.
After he disappeared, family members immediately began searching for Mendoza-Arrojo and found him in a pond located on their property. He was rushed to Cleveland Clinic South Hospital for immediate medical attention.
'The family rushed the child to the hospital, but despite every lifesaving effort, he was pronounced dead in the emergency room,' MCSO officials wrote in a Facebook statement.
According to MCSO, criminal investigators have interviewed everyone at the scene and are reviewing the circumstances of the young boy's death.
It is unclear if the pond had a fence or gate to prevent Mendoza-Arrojo from entering.
Officials have not confirmed if anyone involved in the incident will face charges for his death as the investigation remains ongoing at this time.
Pablo Mendoza-Arrojo, a 23-month-old boy was playing outside in the yard with family members at his homein Port Salerno, Florida
After he disappeared family members immediately began searching for Mendoza-Arrojo and found him floating in a pond located on their property
The Daily Mail has reached out to the MCSO for comment.
The incident comes at a heightened time of pond-related deaths in Florida neighborhoods.
Last month, a three-year-old child with autism drowned in a retention pond in Northwest Jacksonville after a neighbor's camera captured footage of her walking towards the pond late at night.
In the same month, a five-year-old boy drowned behind his apartment building when his father woke up to him missing at North Green complex in Carrollwood, Tampa.
Retention ponds are a type of stormwater management facility designed to hold a permanent pool of water all year-round. They are a common water structure used throughout Florida homes due to frequent amounts of rain.
According to Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act barriers, alarms, or covers are required for residential pools but not for retention ponds.
Mendoza-Arrojo was taken to Cleveland Clinic South Hospital for medical attention, before he was pronounced dead in the emergency room
Councilman Reggie Gaffney Jr, who represents Jacksonville City Council District 8, hosted a community meeting in August to discuss potential ways to prevent drowning accidents in ponds after recent child deaths
Councilman Reggie Gaffney Jr, who represents Jacksonville City Council District 8, hosted a community meeting in August to discuss potential ways to prevent children from drowning in ponds.
'My heart goes out to them, my heart aches for them, I could just give them a hug right now, I want to let them know that I’m doing everything possible to prevent this tragedy from happening again and I’ll make sure my colleagues do everything possible as well,' Councilman Gaffney Jr said at a community meeting, according to News4jax.
According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, Florida loses more children under the age of five than any other state in the nation.
'Drowning is fast, silent, and can happen to anyone. It can happen in the few minutes a distraction can take you away from the water to answer the phone or run inside for a towel. In Florida, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death to children ages 1-4,' Florida Health wrote on their government website.
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