Missing Six-Year-Old Virginia Boy With Down Syndrome Found D-ead on Family Farm
A Virginia community is reeling after the death of a 6-year-old boy. Community members formed a large search party composed of the Virginia State Police, volunteers from four fire departments and sheriff deputies from multiple counties after Landon “Waldy” Raber disappeared sometime around 8 p.m. Sunday.
A canine unit and aerial resources were employed to locate the boy as well. The search went on for hours, until Landon’s body was finally found in a pond on the family’s property early the next morning.
Landon went missing on a large family farm.
Landon was both autistic and born with Down syndrome. He was nonverbal and had just learned to walk last year. Landon was with his family on their large farm when he wandered away from the group.
The Raber family first contacted authorities at 8:45 p.m. Sunday, reporting the boy’s absence.
Sadly, the search ended when Landon was found dead at 5:22 a.m. Monday.
“It was a hard pill to swallow,” Buckingham Department of Emergency Services shares.
“It was a very somber, humbling experience for those of us who were there in those moments,” said Cody Davis, chief of emergency services, during a press conference. “You could just see it. It was a hard pill to swallow.”
Davis said this was the most extensive search he’s conducted during his tenure in Buckingham County.
In addition to authorities who searched for Landon, friends of the family also combed the 80 acres of fields and waterways.
Landon was the face of Waldy’s Ice Cream.
Landon was pretty well-known in Buckingham County, as he was the face of Waldy’s Ice Cream food truck, which the family started in 2018. In addition to serving the community sugary delights, the family used the business to raise awareness about children living with disabilities. They also acted as a support group for families whose children had similar diagnoses
“Everybody knew that family. They know the child as Waldy,” Davis said. “If we weren’t fortunate enough to have the amount of folks to come out that we did, things would have been a little more difficult. I think it does paint a perfect picture of Buckingham County as a community. We’re a very close-knit group.”
The community met to grieve together.
As a show of support, community members met at Waldy’s Ice Cream on Monday afternoon to pay homage to Landon and to raise funds for the Raber family.
“This will be a place to pray for and support the family and also to remember the sweet life of Landon “Waldy” Raber! His short life has touched so many people and we want to take this time to show our support and grieve together as a community/friends/family!,” an organizer wrote on Facebook, alongside details for the event.
Although they hoped to have a better ending to the case, authorities are grateful to everyone who helped with the search.
The Buckingham County Department of Emergency Services issued a public statement via Facebook at the conclusion of the search, thanking everyone for their efforts and advising the community on how to move forward.
“While this was not the outcome anyone was wanting, or expecting, we’d like to thank everyone who was involved with searching all evening and all night. This includes, but not limited to, VSP, all Buckingham Volunteer Fire Departments, BCDES, deputies from multiple other counties, and personnel from other volunteer fire departments,” the post read. “Please keep the family in your thoughts, and respect their privacy during this difficult time.”