Vigil held for missing autistic boy found dead in NBA star's lake

Chris Bowie places flowers in front of the home of Marcus Camby where a makeshift memorial set up after the body of a nine year relative was found in a pond on the property Nov. 26,2016 in Pearland. Chris Bowie places flowers in front of the home of Marcus Camby where a makeshift memorial set up after the body of a nine year relative was found in a pond on the property Nov. 26,2016 in Pearland. Photo: James Nielsen, Chronicle Photo: James Nielsen, Chronicle Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Vigil held for missing autistic boy found dead in NBA star's lake 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

About 1,000 gathered at a softball field in Pearland on Saturday evening to mourn the death of 9-year-old Marcus McGhee, whose body was found floating in a private lake earlier in the day.

Residents of the Houston suburb filled the infield at the Pearland Girls Softball Association fields on Fite Road and spilled out onto the grass. Police chaplains gave a 20 minute service; visitors held lit candles in the air.

Many who came had helped search for McGhee, who had autism, after he went missing on Thanksgiving day. He and his family had been visiting former NBA star Marcus Camby at Camby's house across the street from the ballfields.

"Even in the midst of such tragedy, there is so much to be thankful for," Pastor Keith Anderson, the Pearland Police Department's senior chaplain, told the crowd. "For everyone who searched for Marcus, thanks. But I want you to under-stand, life now goes on."

Josie Carrillo, 38, from Pearland, brought her daughters to the vigil; one went to school with Camby's daughter. They had helped search for McGhee. "It's too close to home," Carillo said.

Tamara Garcia, 46, from southeast Houston, brought her daughters, too. One has autism.

During the service, mothers wrapped arms around daughters, wiping away tears. Fathers bounced babies, trying to keep them quiet. Teenagers stood stoically.

"I'm shocked at the turnout," said organizer Rebecca Burnham, 34, from Pearland. Burnham said she didn't know McGhee or Camby. She helped look for the boy because that's what neighbors do, she said.

The boy's body was discovered about 7 a.m. in the water of an L-shaped lake behind Camby's sprawling home, said Lt. Onesimo Lopez, spokesman for the Pearland Police Department.

Lopez said there appeared to be no indications of foul play. A Pearland investigator spotted the body as he walked along the bank of the lake.

McGhee was last seen around 4 p.m. Thursday at the residence in the 6700 block of Fite. The boy, Lopez said, was visiting Camby from Connecticut.

Police announced the discovery in a Facebook post early Saturday:

"Pearland Police Department regrets to inform the community that Marcus McGhee has been found. Today's search will be called off. We thank all of you for your efforts" the department posted on its Facebook page Saturday morning. "The family is now in need of our prayers. Additional details will be released later."

ORIGINAL STORY: Police cling to hope in search for ex-NBA star Camby's autistic nephew

Chris Bowie, 33, laid out flowers in front of Camby's home in Pearland Saturday morning, shortly after learning the news about Marcus' death.

The news hit close to home for Bowie, who said that his own teenage nephew who suffers from autism has gone missing before too, but was safely found.

"It was just so surreal for it to happen in our community," Bowie said.

Bowie lives about a mile away from the Camby home. As a special education teacher in Pasadena ISD, he says it's not out of the ordinary for autistic kids to wander off like Marcus. Autistic children who are nonverbal and don't have strong environmental awareness are even more prone to getting lost, he said.

"We tend to really have to keep an eye on them," Bowie said.

Bowie tried to volunteer Friday, but police said they already had too many volunteers.



"I was really proud of how quickly so many people volunteered there time to search for him," Bowie said.

On Thursday, Marcus was attending a family gathering of about 20 people, including eight children, on Camby's sprawling property in Pearland. Camby's mother-in-law also lives in a separate house nearby.

The child had been as playing with other kids, but the adults noticed he was missing at about 4:15 p.m.. They began searching the house, which has "lots of rooms, lots of places where people can hide," Lopez said. "Each room opens to a different room. It's almost like a labyrinth."

Police arrived at about 4:45 p.m. and began combing the house and the dense property, which includes a small lake in its center. A security camera picked up Marcus for a few seconds as he slipped out a side door, Lopez said.