EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — An 11-year-old boy found dead in a pond near his Eden Prairie home is the second child with autism in the Twin Cities metro to have drowned this year.
Fay Jede hoped her son, Waeys, who was 4, would be the last one.
Mohamed Mohamed was reported missing Sunday night. About four hours later, search teams found his body in a pond near his home.
When asked what she felt when hearing the news of Mohamed, Jede said, “The exact feeling that I felt June 10th. I cried, I was shocked.”
Jede joined with other parents of children with autism in advocating for change.
A petition they started Sunday night has more than 800 signatures; it calls for free swimming education for all of Minnesota’s vulnerable children.
“It is a life skill that should be accessible to all parents and all children,” said Najma Siyad, a mother of a child with autism. “It should be part of their IEP plans.”
Anisa Hagi-Mohamed has three children with autism.