Girl with Autism, 6, Dies After Falling into Icy Pond Near Home That Parents Tried to Keep 'Safe'
Josephine “Josie” Grace Pinto was found about an hour after she was first reported missing in Massachusetts on Jan. 17
Josephine “Josie” Grace Pinto was found about an hour after she was first reported missing in Massachusetts on Jan. 17 GoFundMe Josephine "Josie" Grace Pinto, who died after falling into an icy pond in Massachusetts.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/josie-pinto-012425-cb2b0c132a274d7f834a606639a2da00.jpg "Josephine Grace Pinto, 6, Dies After Falling Into Icy Pond")
A girl with autism has died after falling into an icy pond near her home in Massachusetts.
The 6-year-old child was reported missing to authorities around 2:30 p.m. local time on Friday, Jan. 17, according to the Norton Police Department.
Police said Norton Fire personnel “immediately began searching” Barrowsville Pond and Wading River, both of which were located close to the girl’s home.
About an hour after the girl was reported missing, divers found the child — identified on GoFundMe as Josephine “Josie” Grace Pinto — in the icy pond “on the Barrowsville side of the bridge over Power Street.”
The department said life-saving efforts were performed at the scene and in the ambulance. The girl was transported to Sturdy Memorial Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
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Josie and her twin Rosie were both diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in 2021, according to Liz Londergan, who organized the GoFundMe campaign.
John Pinto and Tricia Sweeney, the twins' parents, were aware of the safety concerns posed by the nearby pond and “diligently safeguarded their entire home” to keep their daughters “safe,” Londergan said.
However, according to Londergan, Josie “bolted out the back door of their home” on Friday after she was likely “drawn to the partially frozen pond.”
Josie was described in her obituary as “a typical young child full of life and full of wonder of the world around her.” They also said she “was a loving & affectionate child” who “loved attending school” at the L. G. Nourse Elementary School in Norton.
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“She loved to do puzzles; loved stacking things & climbing things; loved to swing on her swing in the backyard; and she loved watching her favorite movie Frozen, sometimes even multiple times in a day,” loved ones wrote. “She also loved eating apples & Portuguese rolls.”
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Josie’s funeral will be held Friday, Jan. 24, beginning at the Edwards Memorial Funeral Home in Milford before moving to St. Mary of the Assumption Church and Cemetery, according to the obituary.
More than $87,000 has been raised through the GoFundMe campaign to support Josie’s family in the wake of her tragic death.
Josie’s parents “intend to donate a portion of the donations in Josie’s name to bring safety and awareness to autism and prevent other families from experiencing a similar loss,” according to Londergan.
She added the remaining funds “will go towards easing the financial strain on the grieving family and caring for their remaining daughter Rosie.”
