Lionel Cervantes Tragedy: Mother Of Lost Child Speaks Out

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The mother of the 8-year-old boy whose body was recovered from a neighborhood pond after he ran away from a South Carolina school this week is speaking out – mourning the loss of her child and alleging negligence on the part of those responsible for his well-being.

“Today I received a call from Lionel(‘s) school that he went missing,” Dalia Cervantes wrote on Facebook late Thursday (September 12, 2024). “A few hours later he was found in a nearby creek. I know he is now in a better place, and with his dad. But my boy did not have to (lose) his life this way. Negligence caused his death. Now I am left without my Leo. I do want to thank everybody who has taken their time to send me and my kids condolences and support.”

As we reported yesterday, eight-year-old Lionel Ramirez Cervantes was reported missing at approximately 11:10 a.m. EDT on Thursday by staff at Bells Crossing Elementary School in Simpsonville, S.C. Within thirty minutes, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) posted a notification to social media enlisting the public’s help in locating the second-grader, who was on the autism spectrum.

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Approximately four hours later, Cervantes’ body was found by GCSO dive team members in a pond in a residential neighborhood located roughly 1,200 feet from the school. Deputies were led to the pool by K9 officers who were tracking Cervantes after he “eluded” staff and Bells Crossing.

Questions related to how Cervantes managed to escape the school – and why he was not quickly located after escaping – have dominated discussion of this case.

A statement from the Greenville County school system noted that Cervantes “ran from the classroom and then the building, and multiple school staff members immediately pursued.”

“He went up a hill, beyond a fence off campus, and into a field with very high grass,” the statement continued. “At that time, staff lost visibility of the student.”

The statement went on to say a school resource officer “immediately responded, and additional law enforcement was called to the school to expand the search.” The hunt for Cervantes also involved “school staff, district employees and community members,” according to the district.

District officials stated “appropriate staff” at the school had received “numerous trainings in the management of student behaviors, including specific training regarding elopement.”

It did not say what such trainings entailed, whether the staff involved in yesterday’s incident had received such training or whether they acted in accordance with such training as this incident unfolded.

Here is the distrtict statement in its entirety as posted to social media…

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Please be mindful that any comments made on this post can be seen by staff and students who are still processing the trauma and the grief as a result of this tragedy. pic.twitter.com/OPFslpvCgo

— Greenville County Schools (@gcschools) September 13, 2024

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As for Cervantes’ statement, its final line further fueled the fire.

“I saw the video and it does not justify their actions,” Cervantes wrote.

It’s not immediately clear what video – or which alleged actions – Cervantes was referencing.

Not long after posting her statement, Cervantes posted a reel on Facebook paying tribute to her late son.

(Click to view)

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Our media outlet is in the process of deploying multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests related to Cervantes’ death which we plan on submitting along with specific questions to the school system, the county coroner’s office and GCSO.

As I noted in yesterday’s coverage, until we know more about this situation “we would simply urge everyone following this tragedy to keep Cervantes’ family and friends in their prayers.”

A GoFundMe page referenced by Cervantes in her Facebook post – and administered by a friend of the family – referenced Lionel’s autism diagnosis, his love of Spider-Man and his surviving siblings.

“He was the sweetest, most loving soul with the biggest smile and will be missed dearly,” the page noted.

Referencing Dalia Cervantes, it noted that “her husband passed away three years ago and she has raised her kids on her own ever since.”

“On September 12th, 2024, Dalia took her son Lionel to school at Bells Crossing Elementary, where he was in second grade,” the post stated. “She never in a million years thought she would never see her baby alive again.”

Last Friday (September 9, 2024), Cervantes posted a picture of her son with two of his brothers eating dinner.

“I am uncertain of who they will become if they are allowed to grow into men by life, death, and God,” she wrote. “Nonetheless, I will always be there to support them as their mother while I am still existent.”

The GoFundMe page sought to raise $25,000 to “give Lionel a proper burial.” As of 10:00 a.m. EDT on Friday, the page had received over 1,200 donations and raised more than $51,000.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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