Arizona mother mourns son found dead in canal

New at 9, the mother of a 13-year-old boy with autism is speaking out after he wandered away earlier this month from a family home and tragically drowned in an irrigation canal. Fox 10's Nicole Christine shares how this woman is remembering her son. Josiah was a very special boy. Brittany Flynn says her 13-year-old son Josiah was a happy, giggly kid, one who brought joy to those around him. We just recently went to the circus and he wanted to get on stage and be in the show. He just loved it. Brittany says Josiah also loved going with his siblings to visit his dad on the Salt River Pima Maricopa Reservation. That's where he was on Sunday, July 12th, when Brittany got the call that he had walked off while playing near an irrigation ditch. Josiah was autistic, nonverbal, and suffered from epileptic seizures. And Brittany said he didn't have a sense of potential danger. That mom was screaming. I just, in my heart, I knew. The Salt River Police Department says officers arrived to the area where Josiah was last seen just after 8.30 that evening and started a coordinated search with the help of Mesa Police and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Brittany says she got there shortly after and immediately started seeking out additional resources to help find her son. I jumped on live really quickly because I know people in Lehigh. I wanted people to go outside. It was pitch black, you know, going through that. It was just a nightmare. No mother wants to say, search for your son. Josiah's body was found around 10 p.m. in the irrigation canal. The water was maybe three or four inches, and the current was not that strong, so I did not think that it would take him. It took him about two blocks. In her grief, Brittany says she wants parents, especially those who have children with special needs, to be vigilant. I don't want to say my son became a statistic, but this is very common in the autism community. Any accident, anything could happen. Just keep your kids close. Nicole Christine reporting. While no foul play is suspected, there is an active investigation into Josiah's death. Josiah's family does have a GoFundMe set up to help with funeral expenses, and we've put a link to that on Fox10Phoenix.com.