Waeys Ali Mohamed Missing, A Hopkins 4-year-old boy’s body was found in Minnehaha Creek; The body of a missing 4-year-old boy, Waeys Ali Mohamed, was found Monday morning in Minnehaha Creek after an intensive search effort, Hopkins police reported.
Hopkins police Capt. Craig Kreiling confirmed at a news conference that the boy’s body was discovered around 10:40 a.m. by a volunteer about 500 yards downstream from his family’s apartment building, the Chorus Apartments. Waeys had been last seen on Sunday morning.
Kreiling extended condolences to Waeys’ family and the Somali community in Hopkins. He noted that while an investigation is ongoing, evidence suggests the incident was a “tragic accident,” with Waeys likely leaving the apartment building on his own.
“There is no room to try and blame anybody else right now; this is a horrible, tragic accident from everything we are able to determine,” Kreiling stated.
Waeys had autism and was nonverbal, according to the alert issued Sunday. Police suspect he drowned, although the official cause of death will be determined by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office.
On Monday evening, a small memorial was set up near the west end of the bridge over Minnehaha Creek, consisting of flowers, plush dolls, candles, and balloons. Seven local residents visited to pay their respects.
Danielle Danielson, a Plymouth resident, recounted her efforts in the search. She spent hours looking in the woods and knocking on doors to ask neighbors if they had seen Waeys. Some volunteers searched with flashlights until midnight, while others waded into the creek or used canoes to aid in the search.
