Body of Missing 4-Year-Old Boy with Autism Found in Creek

"This is a horrible, tragic accident from everything that we are able to determine," Hopkins Police Capt. Craig Kreiling said of Waeys Ali Mohamed

The body of a 4-year-old boy who went missing in Hopkins, Minn., on Sunday, June 9, was found on Monday, June 10, per the Hopkins Police Department press release.

Waeys Ali Mohamed was found dead in Minnehaha Creek off the 7800 block of Powell Road on Monday at about 10:40 a.m., the Hopkins Police Department said, per CBS News. He was discovered around 500 yards from his apartment building.

Mohamed was an autistic, non-verbal preschooler who went missing after he left his apartment on his own on Sunday morning around 7:30 a.m.

Authorities issued an emergency alert on Sunday morning, and law enforcement from Hennepin and Ramsey counties, the FBI, firefighters, drone pilots and State Patrol aircraft, multiple K-9 units, search and rescue teams and hundreds of civilians were involved in the search, Hopkins Police Department Captain Craig Kreilin said, per Kare 11.

"We provided a great deal of public resources towards this, but what was truly meaningful in this case is the amount of community members that came out to help. And I think that speaks volumes to the community that we have here in Hopkins that we want to help one another," Kreiling said, according to CBS News. "This is a horrible, tragic accident from everything that we are able to determine."

Mohamed likely died from an accidental drowning, Kreiling said authorities are working with the Hennepin County’s sheriff and medical examiner's office to determine the child's cause of death.

"There's a lot of rumor and conjecture about this case, about different things that have gotten posted on social media. What I can say is we have evidence that Waeys left this apartment building on his own accord, and there is no room to try to blame anybody else right now," Kreiling said.

Related: Mich. Woman with Autism Was Found Dead in River in April, Police Now Say Man Strangled Her 

A GoFundMe page was created to assist the child’s mother with afterlife expenses. “Our aim is to gather donations to assist a single mother financially as she navigates this challenging time,” began the donation description.

“It's impossible to fully capture who Waeys was in words. He was a vibrant, funny, and kind-hearted young boy who brought joy to everyone around him!” read the description.

Related: Florida Parents Arrested After 3-Year-Old Toddler with Autism Drowns in Pond

Per Star Tribune, a small memorial was installed Monday night near the bridge crossing Minnehaha Creek, with several local residents paying their respects to the preschooler. "It's just horrible that a young life was snuffed out early and I feel so sorry for the family," said Hopkins resident Barbara Addington, per the outlet.

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, added, "People in the community feel gut-wrenched and were hoping to hear good news, but they felt, as the time went by, that it was not good news.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

A representative for the Hopkins Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Monday.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.