A Kentucky community banded together on May 16, 2026, after learning parents could not find their 4-year-old son. Aazam Dahir reportedly took off from his Louisville home around 8 p.m. Because Aazam was both nonverbal and autistic, police knew it was crucial to find him as soon as they could. The Louisville Police Department employed as many resources as possible. They searched for hours for Aazam and finally found his body at 1 a.m. on May 17. Sadly, he had drowned in a swimming pool, leaving the entire community devastated.
Law enforcement enacted a Golden Alert.
A Golden Alert is a special bulletin issued Kentucky to alert the public that a person considered impaired is missing. According to WHAS, the person must have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, dementia, or autism to qualify for the alert. Aazam was considered particularly vulnerable because of his young age and inability to speak.
Aazam disappeared from the 6100 block of Richie Wayne Drive, near the 8200 block of Smyrna Parkway, according to WLKY. Police gathered members of the Missing Persons Unit, K9 teams, Air Unit, and Drone Unit to begin the search. More than 100 volunteers also helped to find Aazam.
Neighbors desperately searched for Aazam.
Mark Domeck told WAVE he’d lived in the area a long time and wanted to help in any way that he could.
“I immediately went and scoured my backyard, looked everywhere I could, and then we started looking through some of the other backyards,” Domeck said. “I was hoping I was just going to find him playing somewhere.”
He said he saw so many people searching for Aazam that it made him proud of his community.
“It seemed like everybody was out and about,” Domeck said. “When people started coming together, it really restored my faith in humanity.”
Sadly, the story doesn’t have a happy ending.
Police found Aazam just a few hours after his family last saw him. Kamal Wells, who came from a different neighborhood to help search for Aazam, told WAVE this story serves as an important reminder to help those around you when they need it.
“If you have the ability to do so, get out and help look for these kids because this is an unfortunate situation, this young man lost his life, this child lost his life in a pool, and he couldn’t even scream for help, he’s non-verbal, so take them seriously when they put these alerts out and there’s kids involved,” Wells said.
Police officer Anthony Nunn took to Facebook to share his gratitude with the community for stepping up their efforts to try and find Aazam.
“Not the outcome we wanted but….All I can say is in 19 years of policing….I have never seen a community come together to assist like they did tonight. Especially on a weekend. Everyone from multiple emergency services, different patrol units, off duty officers, every single neighbor from Smyrna to Shepherdsville, groups from outside the area showing up,” he wrote in his post. “Searching with flashlights….using their phone lights, driving….walking, makes things like this a little more bearable. I have a soft spot for children with autism so from me personally…..thank you all for your efforts.”
WLKY reported that because of Aazam’s age, police will conduct a homicide investigation per protocol.
It’s such a difficult time for the entire community. But it sounds like they have strength in numbers and will hopefully remain strong for Aazam’s family.
