Deputy Plunges Into Pond To Save Nonspeaking Girl With Autism

A Louisiana sheriff’s deputy waded neck-deep into a pond in his full uniform to rescue an 8-year-old nonspeaking girl with autism who had gone underwater.

Bodycam footage from the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office captures the rescue on Blushing Groom Drive in unincorporated Carencro. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were called on Sunday, September 6, after the child was reported missing. On the way, they learned she had been found but had wandered into a nearby pond.

When deputies arrived, bystanders were standing on the bank as the girl went under. The sheriff’s office said Cpl. Jared Havard recognized the danger and went straight into the neck-deep water to reach her.

Havard brought the child safely back to the bank, where she was reunited with her family.