An 8-year-old South Carolina student, Lionel Ramirez Cervantes, tragically drowned in a pond near his school after being reported missing on September 12, 2024.
Lionel was a second-grade student at Bells Crossing Elementary School in Simpsonville. He was last seen at the school around 11 a.m. that day before disappearing.
According to reports, Lionel ran out of his classroom and eventually left the school grounds. At the time, he was accompanied by two fellow students and three staff members. The staff attempted to follow him but were unable to keep him in sight.
Ran from school
Search for Missing 8-Year-Old Ends in Tragedy
Credit: Greenville County Sheriff’s Office – Facebook
The search for 8-year-old Lionel Ramirez Cervantes, who went missing from his elementary school on September 12, 2024, has ended in heartbreaking news.
Lionel, a second-grade student at Bells Crossing Elementary School in Simpsonville, South Carolina, was last seen near the school’s playground at approximately 11:10 a.m. According to school officials, he had run from the building, and despite immediate efforts by staff to follow him, he disappeared from view.
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office quickly launched a large-scale search effort involving ground teams and scent-tracking dogs. At 2:10 p.m., they issued a public request asking residents to remain in their vehicles and avoid searching on foot to avoid interfering with the K9 units. Community members were instead encouraged to review home security footage and check their properties for any sign of Lionel.
Tragically, just two hours later, at 4:12 p.m., the sheriff’s office confirmed that Lionel’s body had been located in a body of water off Lenox Lake Drive, a short distance from the school.
“The GCSO is heartbroken to report that 8-year-old Lionel Ramirez Cervantes, who ran off from Bells Crossing Elementary School, has been located in a body of water off Lenox Lake Drive,” the department wrote in a Facebook post. “Deputies responded to initiate search and rescue efforts and conducted those the entire day. Shortly after 3:00 p.m., Lionel’s body was found by dive team members.”
Grief support personnel were sent to assist the family during the devastating discovery.
Lionel’s mother, Dalia Cervantes, a single parent to five children, shared a poignant message on social media shortly after the news broke.
“Today I received a call from Lionel’s school that he went missing. A few hours later, he was found in a nearby creek,” she wrote. “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.”
