Montgomery County Police offers resources for autism community caregivers after 6-year-old boy drowns

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — After hours of searching, a Gaithersburg community was devastated as they witnessed the Montgomery County Police Department recover the body of 6-year-old Fawzan Hassan from a lake in Bohrer Park.

Police say Fawzan was on the autism spectrum and non-verbal, and he was last seen Saturday around 3 p.m., playing in Gaithersburg’s Bohrer Park. His body was recovered the next day.

Fawzan’s father described him as a kid who loved the playground and would run and play whenever he saw one.

Now, the Montgomery County Police Department says people caring for someone with autism are not alone.

“It’s hard for any parent to be on their A-game all the time,” says Officer Laurie Reyes. “We want to tell caregivers that we will fill in those gaps.”

Back in 2004, the department created a unit to focus on wandering adults.

That unit has since expanded to address the needs of the autism/IDD (intellectual and developmental disabilities) community, and the unit says those needs have grown.  

“We average about three to eight calls a week, where we are usually locating individuals, sometimes before family members have called to report,” Reyes said. “We’re seeing more calls for individuals who have wandered, and more for those that we’re finding before caregivers are calling us."

After this weekend’s tragedy, the department is advising those caring for people with autism to be particularly careful around water, since drowning is the number one cause of premature death for those on the autism spectrum.

However, the department promises to help bring much needed support to ensure everyone involved gets the care they need.  

“Our officers are trained, we will be there for caregivers, we just want to get your loved one back to you,” Reyes said. “We’re not looking at caregivers from [a place of] judgement. We’re looking and saying, 'What more can we do to help you?'"