Authorities in Liberty County had just called off the ground search for the missing toddler Saturday, but moments later, the determined crew sent a drone helicopter on one last trip over a murky, algae-filled pond to check out an unusual sonar image.
"When we started looking at the pictures and the images, we saw something that just shouldn't have been there," Tim Miller with Texas EquuSearch said.
That something turned out to be little Devon's body under water.
"We all stayed just long enough to make it happen," Miller said.
As deputies told Devon's family the news, his mother, April Davis, broke down crying.
"This has been a very difficult day," Captain Rex Evans with the Liberty County Sheriff's Office said.
The redheaded, blue-eyed boy disappeared Tuesday afternoon while his mom dozed off for a nap at the home they just moved into last week.
She woke up to find a door unlatched.
Family members believe the boy ventured off to play with some neighborhood dogs he'd seen roaming near the pond, which is only about 100 yards from the house.
Investigators said they don't suspect foul play and deputies said they found no obvious signs of trauma on the child's body.
Now, this community is focused on supporting Devon's family.
"It's a sad day, but it's a relief," Miller said. "It's a relief and now we are going to do everything we can do to make sure he has the best funeral he can have after this."
This investigation is still ongoing and the Jefferson County Medical Examiner's Office will complete an autopsy.
