The body of a six-year-old boy who vanished from a family gathering in the Patagonian city of Neuquén was found early Tuesday inside a wastewater treatment plant, local authorities confirmed. The child, identified as Tahiel Herrera, had autism spectrum disorder and had been missing since around 8 p.m. on Monday, when he slipped away from a relative’s house on Tronador Street in the Confluencia neighbourhood.

A large-scale search was launched within hours, drawing police officers, firefighters, specialist divers, health personnel and residents. The operation concentrated on the adjacent premises of the Ente Provincial de Agua y Saneamiento (EPAS), a facility that treats sewage and contains open-air tanks. Neighbours told investigators that access to the site often remains unsecured despite a security booth, and rescuers’ primary fear was that the boy had fallen into one of the treatment pools.

Shortly after midnight, a forensic medical unit and judicial officials arrived at the plant, and authorities soon confirmed that a body had been located in one of the tanks. Police coordinator Rubén Rodríguez said the child was found after officers and specialists combed the poorly lit, unfamiliar terrain. The remains were transferred to the judicial morgue for autopsy.

The case has been placed under the direction of prosecutor Lorena Juárez. Forensic experts are working to establish the precise cause of death and to reconstruct how the boy reached the area of the plant where he was discovered. No official determination has yet been made, and the investigation remains open.