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Autistic Fla. girl, 9, drowns in pond

RIVERVIEW, Fla., April 7 (UPI) -- An autistic 9-year-old girl who wandered away from a birthday party was found dead in a pond in Riverview, Fla., Saturday, authorities said.

Ariyanna Pivachek had been at the party with seven other foster children and eight adults when she disappeared about 3 p.m., the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said. The adults initially started looking for her by themselves, then called 911 at 3:30 p.m., deputies told the Tampa Bay Times.

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Deputies found the girl's body about 45 minutes later in 6 feet of water about 15 feet from shore in a small pond nearby the home she was visiting, the newspaper said.

The Sheriff's Office said the girl's foster family had been considering adopting her.

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