Missing boy ,7, found dead

The body of a seven-year-old boy who was missing south of Brisbane for more than 15 hours has been found.

SES at the scene of the search Sunday morning. Picture: Lachie Millard

A community is in mourning after the tragic death of a seven-year-old boy who was missing for more than 15 hours.

Hundreds of people searched for Zepvontay “Uni” Tafili, from Kingston, who was last seen on Queens Road about 5pm on Saturday.

Police had warned the boy was considered to be at significant risk due to his young age and a medical condition where he was non-verbal.

Around midday on Sunday, police announced that divers had found the boy’s body in a local waterway.

People gathered outside the residence where the boy was last seen, hugging each other and holding back tears together.

Zepvontay “Uni” Tafili was non-verbal.

Family members were thankful with how many people had tried searching for him.

It is understood the grandparents on both sides were overseas and were desperately trying to get some answers as the search went on.

One family member told the Courier Mail it looked like more than 100 people were out scouting for him on Sunday morning with many of the same people searching the day before.

“I just want to thank the Logan community for coming out helping, supporting all the family members that helped out with providing water and food for everyone that are scouting today,” she said.

The Logan community are still rallying to support the family.

Brenda Lemaga created a GoFundMe on Sunday to try and help the family. She said she was friends with some of Uni’s family but didn’t personally know them.

In less than 24 hours the GoFundMe has raised more than $19,000 which is almost double the initial target she was hoping for.

Ms Lemaga said it showed how the community rallied together in tough times, through their search efforts on the weekend but also to support the family in the coming day.

“It was awesome to see and the Logan community never fails to show up like that,” Ms Lemaga said.

The money raised through the GoFundMe is expected to be for the funeral costs and to bring his grandparents to Australia as they are overseas.

“It’s basically just to have funds for the funeral because they are Islanders, with Islanders, we have a whole thing where, you know, people actually come and visit the home and the family actually caters for them,” she said.

“And it’ll be like, a whole week or two, depending, like that’s a lot of money itself.

“So we can’t really put pricing on that because we don’t know how many people are going to visit them.”

Ms Lemaga said while she didn’t know the family, she has now been in touch with them and they are still grieving but are grateful for the support.

“I didn’t have the opportunity to (meet Uni) but through everything that happened yesterday, I’m sure he was really loved by his family,” she said.

“I’ve looked at his parents page a bit too. And you know just cried quite a bit more.”

Scrubby Creek at Slacks Creek, where the search took place. Picture: Lachie Millard

Hours after the news spread throughout the community, friends and family also expressed their shock on social media over the news.

“I can’t believe this is the outcome,” Chelsea B Timoti wrote.

“I prayed so hard last night and this morning that he would be found and returned back to (the parents).

“Sending my condolences to all the family. Fly high sweet Boy definitely gone too soon.”

Others said they couldn’t be sadder about the outcome after searching more than seven hours. The community and emergency services searched the outer area of Kingston, Slacks Creek, Loganlea, Marsden and Woodridge.

Senior Sergeant Glenn Ryder said there had been a large number of people helping out police.

“My thanks to the community and it’s such a tragic time of the year,” he said.

“But how the community reached out, we had people reaching out for him coming up to police and asking for our assistance.

“So it was just a wonderful, wonderful assistance from the community. And it’s so great to see.

“Sadly, my thoughts are with the family and the family are being supported by family members and also by Logan police liasion officers.”

Senior Sargeant Glenn Ryder on Sunday. Picture: Lachie Millard

Despite the difficult conditions, there were many people out in full force including a number of SES volunteers.

“There was a couple of thunderstorms that went through (on Saturday night), it was humid and it’s a very, very complex environment - a number of watercourses, hard Bush terrain that SES and police had to endure and the fire service also,” he said.

“We had the luck of having the swift water teams both from the QFES and also from SES responding and assisting us.

“And (Sunday) obviously it’s been extremely hot and trying location and environment for us to the point where that we had to have QAS attend one of the SES members who had suffered from heat stroke.”

Sen Sgt Ryder said it was tragic so close to Christmas.

“Sadly, it’s a tragic event that I’m now reporting - yesterday at approximately 5.30pm police were advised of a missing seven-year-old autistic child,” he said.

“The dive squad they’ve attended (mid morning Sunday) and sadly as a result of our search they’ve located the young child deceased.”

The seven-year-old was last seen 5pm Saturday. Picture: Queensland Police Service

Slacks Creek locals react to the news the missing boy has been found dead. Picture: Lachie Millard