Family members have identified a 5-year-old boy who drowned in a Tamarac canal over the weekend.
Jerry T. Anderson Jr. died Saturday afternoon after authorities found him in a canal.
The child, who family members lovingly called "JT," was with his mother staying with friends in the Shaker Village neighborhood in Tamarac when he went missing.
Broward Sheriff's Office deputies and Tamarac Fire Rescue responded and found him in the waterway.
The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.
A 5-year-old boy wandered away and drowned in a canal in Tamarac. NBC 6's Marissa Bagg reports
First responders tried to revive him but he died later at the hospital.
The family said JT had autism. Water safety advocates said children on the autism spectrum are 160 times more at risk of drowning than their typically developing peers.
Local
No foul play is suspected in his death.
