A partially deaf Auckland woman has spoken of the devastating moment she discovered the body of 8-year-old Gurshabad Singh in her backyard swimming pool, saying she never heard the autistic schoolboy enter her property before he drowned.Gorshabad died in November last year after escaping from a school transport truck in South Te Atatu and making his way through nearby properties before ending up in a swimming pool.The woman told the NZ Herald she was working from home that afternoon and had no idea the child had entered her yard.“I thought I would check the laundry, and my granddaughter’s pants were wet, so I thought I would hang them on the balcony in the sun,” she said.When I got out I noticed something was in the pool.She added: “I saw his body submerged under the water and it took me a few seconds to comprehend what I saw…and I thought: Damn, is this really what I think?”“I almost had a heart attack. I thought my grandson was dead.”The shocked woman immediately called emergency services and rushed to check on her grandson. She was afraid her grandson was floating in the water.
The woman said she and her family had not heard anything unusual before the discovery.She said: “We did not hear anything. I am deaf and my grandson was sleeping, and there was no screaming or anything.”When she realized that the child was not a member of her family, she ran to a nearby property and desperately called for help.She recalled knocking on the fence and shouting, “Does anyone have a missing child?”Her neighbor responded and ran into the pool alongside her teenage grandson.“My neighbor came right over and he and my grandson ran into the pool and got the little guy out,” she said.The neighbor began chest compressions while the teen checked for a pulse and supported the boy’s head.The woman described the helpful couple as “absolute heroes” and said: “They gave him a glimmer of hope.”Despite their efforts, Gurshabad could not be saved. Emergency responders later told her he may have been in the water for 10 to 15 minutes.The woman said she struggled to cope with the tragedy and took time off work. Holding back tears, she described Gorshabad as a “little man” and said she was grieving alongside his family.“We mourn the loss along with the family. No parent should have to go through the path of losing their child.”Gorshabad was non-verbal and suffered from autism. He disappeared after escaping from the school van. His parents described him as an intelligent and lively child who was very fast and known for wandering off if given the opportunity. Police were searching the nearby streets and Al Khor area before finding his body. According to the homeowner, officers later told her that the boy had been seen moving across neighboring properties and jumping fences.The property’s swimming pool was fully fenced and complied with Auckland Council regulations.Gurshabad’s parents are still searching for answers as to how the 8-year-old escaped from the school bus.
