Body of boy, 3, found in pond near his Port Royal home after he went missing Wednesday
The body of a missing boy was found in a pond near his home Wednesday night in Port Royal, police said.
The body of 3-year-old Mason Henley was recovered from a pond behind his home 15 to 20 feet from the shoreline around 10:40 p.m., according to police.
The boy was last seen around 7 p.m. near his home on Cedar Creek Circle in the Shadow Moss community. He was wearing a blue-and-pink shirt and a diaper. Footage from neighbors’ doorbell cameras showed Mason chasing ducks near his home before he wandered off.
Police said the house where Mason’s family lives backs up to the pond.
A cause of death has not been released by the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office, but the death is believed to be an accidental drowning and not alligator-related, said Capt John Griffith, a spokesperson for the Port Royal Police Department.
At least 10 small ponds and lagoons are scattered throughout the Shadow Moss community, a neighborhood that houses mostly families and local military service members, said one neighbor who asked not to be named.
The community, said another neighbor, wanted to step in to help after hearing sirens and seeing flashing lights after police arrived around 7:25 p.m. They were told by police to go back inside because they were “bringing in a helicopter with thermal imaging,” she said.
The pond where Mason’s body was found was still Thursday morning with no sign of police activity. There was no yellow police tape or anything to indicate that something had happened there.
The City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office helicopter and K-9 unit helped with the search.
A forensic autopsy was scheduled to conducted Thursday, Beaufort County Coroner David Ott said.
This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 9:46 AM.
