VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Volusia County woman who created a digital safety bracelet for vulnerable children and adults is in talks with the sheriff’s office after three recent drownings of autistic kids.
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
Sheriff Chitwood put out the call for help Tuesday after a 7-year-olds body was found in a lake in Deltona.
Experts told Eyewitness News children with autism are attracted to bodies of water.
Read: Deputies: Missing 7-year-old with autism found dead in lake was living in unsafe conditions
The founder of “Sharewear” knows the bracelets won’t stop a child from going in, but they would give parents and law enforcement more information to work with if a child goes missing.
A simple tap of the back of your phone on the top of the bracelet will open a profile filled with personalized information and founder Amanda Anderson said no apps or downloads are needed.
“Anyone in the community after they have found this child can tap the bracelet, see the information and immediately make contact,” said Anderson.
Read: Family of woman killed by neighbor asks Florida to make changes to Stand Your Ground law
She launched Sharewear in April and has since partnered with several law enforcement agencies and first responders. Since then, improvements have been made including adding a geo-location feature which shows the last place a person interacted with the bracelet.
“They never require any batteries or charging where a tracker is going to. They are completely waterproof, a lot of trackers are not,” said Anderson.
Anderson believes the band could be a piece of the puzzle for families with autistic children.
Read: ‘I didn’t want to die’: Man jumps out of roller coaster after lap bar unlocks
Two non-verbal children with autism have drown in the last week in Volusia County. The first, a four-year-old in Ormond Beach last Sunday and the second, a seven-year-old in Deltona on Monday. Anderson is now hoping to partner with the sheriff’s office and other organizations on what she calls a multi-faceted approach.
“The idea is to get donors in the community to donate. This would go toward not only bands with geo location for kids the community but would also go toward drowning prevention and education put on by Easterseals,” said Anderson.
Many children with autism have sensory issues so Sharewear also offers keychains and stickers as an option.
Learn more at sharewearshop.com
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.