Tragedy struck Belle Glade on Feb. 12, when a 5-year-old child was found dead in a canal near Pioneer Park. According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO), the child was non-verbal and on the autism spectrum.

The boy had last been seen around 6 p.m., when he was playing with his sister. According to PBSO, the girl told deputies she turned around and he was gone. PBSO found body in the canal around 11 p.m. by using sonar.

A program  available in Palm Beach County and Okeechobee County can help families more easily locate loved ones with special needs such as autism or Alzheimer’s, who may tend to wander off.

Project Lifesaver helps track and locate missing loved ones, using small tracking bracelets that can be worn around the wrist or ankle. The service locates an individual who has been reported missing by using radio waves.

“Bypassing GPS dependence, this system works in all areas, even where GPS doesn't, like water, inside buildings and this system will not allow for ‘dead’ or ‘blank’ areas of service,”  the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office explained on Facebook.

The person who is wearing the bracelet cannot take it off. The transmitters have a battery life of 60 to 90 days. OCSO regularly checks the devices and changes the batteries, either at the sheriff’s office or at the person’s home. 

The service is provided free in Okeechobee County by the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office. Okeechobee County residents interested in the program can go online to www.okeesheriff.org or contact Sgt. Jack Nash at 863-763-3117 Ext. 5018.

Palm Beach County residents interested in the program can contact Palm Beach County Project Lifesaver, 15693 83^rd Lane N., Loxahatchee, 561-723-0372.

For more information on starting a Project Lifesaver program in your area, go online to projectlifesaver.org.