PALM HARBOR, Fla. — It's an unspeakable tragedy that Marcus Larry and Jasmine Torrence hope no parents go through while remembering their three-year-old son, Kyrie.
"We feel a hole in our hearts, and I don't think we'll ever feel content moving forward,” said Larry, Kyrie’s father, through an interpreter.
In April, Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of the missing three-year-old in Palm Harbor. The Sheriff's Office said deputies learned Kyrie, who had autism, left the apartment without his parents knowing.
WATCH: Family of child who drowned in a Palm Harbor retention pond shares call to action
Investigators said both parents are hearing-impaired and didn't hear their son leave.
An extensive search ended in the unthinkable. Family said Kyrie's life was cut short when he drowned in a nearby retention pond.
"We will always miss Kyrie,” said Torrence, Kyrie’s mother, through an interpreter. “We love him so much."
Kyrie's parents shared their heartbreak with ABC Action News on Thursday.
"He was really just a shining light,” said Larry. “He was always so positive and such a shining light in our family. A wonderful son. He loved his two brothers, and he was such a smart boy."
The family and advocates want to bring awareness to the issue of child drownings.
According to the CDC, more children ages 1 to 4 die from drowning than any other cause of death.
"These aren't just statistics. It's a crisis,” said Pedro Echarte, an attorney with the Haggard Law Firm. “And these drownings are not just occurring in swimming pools, but in man-made and natural bodies of water like retention ponds."
It’s a call to action from one family, hoping to prevent another tragedy and another family from living with the grief.
"We're begging everybody in the community, property owners, complexes, lawmakers. We're asking that you do the due diligence to make sure that these bodies of water are safe and that the children are safe and protected, rather than waiting until something tragic like this happens again to another family,” said Larry.
Kyrie's family tells ABC Action News they plan to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners and managers of the Bell Lansbrook Village apartment complex.
A spokesperson for Bell Partners said they can't comment on pending litigation.
Pinellas County wakes up to storm damage after tornado rips through the area
The tornado ripped off roofs, snapped trees and scattered debris throughout the area, but thankfully, no serious injuries have been reported.
