Three-year-old boy with autism found dead in the water at resort near Disney World after going missing

A three-year-old boy with autism was found dead in the water at a resort just outside of Walt Disney World.

Rakim Akbari was initially believed to have wandered away from the Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas sometime Thursday morning, prompting the Orange County Sheriff's Office to put out a missing child alert, FOX 35 reports.

The boy was described in the alert as having autism, with officials noting there was 'extreme concern for his well-being.'

But just a few hours later, deputies found Akbari's body in the water on the resort grounds. 

'Our detectives are still looking into how this tragedy occurred,' the Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook. 

'We are grieving his loss and our prayers are with his family.'

Akbari's mother, Tarina, expressed her grief on Facebook.

'My baby, oh God, why my baby boy,' she wrote Thursday afternoon.

She had earlier pleaded for help finding her son on the social media platform, writing: 'I need y'all, please, please, my baby [is] missing.'

About an hour later, she asked for help again.

'Please, I can't live without my baby, please help me, please God, my baby boy,' she wrote.

A friend also expressed their grief online, writing: 'I can't stop shedding tears, I'm so hurt.

'I'm praying for you [Tarina] and your family during the loss of your baby boy.'