WESTFORD — On Sunday, June 23, 2024, at around 9:12 p.m., the Westford Police Department responded to a residence on Chestnut Road after receiving a report that six-year-old Zayan Mayanja, a non-verbal autistic child, had escaped through a window.
Westford Police began searching for the child with the help of K-9 units from Westford and neighboring areas. They used drones, a boat in Nabnasset Lake, a reverse 911 alert, and the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing. The Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) provided additional K-9 units, drones, and communication personnel.
The Westford Police Department said in a statement posted to Facebook that on Monday June 24, 2024, at about 12:08 a.m., a Westford police officer and K9 unit located Zayan in the water of Nabnasset Lake behind a residence on Lake Shore Drive South.
Life-saving measures, including CPR, were immediately initiated by the officers who found Zayan and soon after by the Westford Fire Department. Zayan was then transported to Lowell General Hospital by the Westford Fire Department, where he was pronounced deceased.
“Zayan was a member of the Westford Public Schools, family and grief counselors will be made available to any friends or family members that need assistance during this time,” the Westford Police Department said in its statement. Adding, “If you are a Westford resident and have a family member that is on the autism spectrum, or suffers from another cognitive condition, we encourage you to contact the Westford Police Department at 978-399-2345 and sign up for the department’s cognitive alert registration program, as this will greatly assist law enforcement in locating your loved one if they were to ever go missing.”
The investigation is ongoing.
