Father drowns after trying to rescue 4-year-old son from pond in Collier County

Reporter: Michelle Alvarez Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:

A man drowned trying to rescue his 4-year-old, non-verbal, autistic son from a pond at the Everly Apartments in Collier County.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene on Magnolia Pond Circle around 8:15 p.m. on Thursday.

The incident report stated that Ali Asif, 47, was underwater for about 25 minutes before being pulled from the water. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

A worker on the scene told WINK News he saw the man struggling and screaming from across the pond and attempted to rescue the drowning man. However, the pond was steep, angled and muddy, which prevented him from finding Asif.

The report goes on to say, the boy’s aunt, Sydney Khalid, performed CPR on the child after he was pulled from the water. The 4-year-old began breathing and regained consciousness.

The report says the 4-year-old is in stable condition.

A family member said the boy had left the family’s apartment without anyone noticing initially. When they went to look for him, they discovered him in the pond.

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