Westford heartbroken over death of 6-year-old boy with autism

WESTFORD, Mass. — Twelve hours after the tragic death of Zayan Mayanja, Heidi Sullivan arrived at the Westford Police Station with her seven-year-old son, Patrick.

Like Zayan, Patrick is on the autism spectrum, his Mom said. But unlike Zayan, Patrick is verbal. Still, Sullivan was taking no chances.

“I did just come to the police station today to put current pictures in and put Patrick on the cognitive alert system that they have here,” she said. “This really hit the community hard. And we’re a very tight community. So it’s really devastating as a Mom.”

The Cognitive Alert System covers children with autism — but also adults with dementia. The information provided by family members — such as photos and full descriptions — can help police get a head start on finding a missing person.

And, as the case of Zayan illustrates, time is a precious commodity when a person with autism is missing.

Zayan left his house around 9 p.m. Sunday night by climbing out a window. Police and other law enforcement agencies mounted a massive search in the area of Nabnasset Lake.

“Lots of police presence, brought the helicopter out, there were drones flying around,” said Amy Tartaka, who lives nearby.

The lake was a focal point for the search. According to AutismSpeaks, the leading cause of death among autistic people who wander is drowning.

Three hours after the search began, it ended. Zayan was found in the lake by a K9 unit. He was perhaps a quarter-mile from his residence.

“Immediate life-saving actions were taken, including CPR,” said Captain Michael Breault, public information officer for the Westford Police Department. The boy was transported to Lowell General Hospital but did not survive.

Breault hoped that this tragedy will spur others to consider, like Heidi Sullivan, signing up family members with autism or dementia to the Cognitive Alert Register.

“We want you to reach out to us,” he said.

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