Timothy WallaceA nine-year-old severely autistic boy died Sunday night after he was struck by a train on railroad tracks not far from his aunt's Sale Creek home.
Timothy Wallace wandered away from the home at 520 Leggett Road around 10 p.m., according to Hamilton County Sheriff's spokeswoman Janice Atkinson.
He was found dead by the train tracks near Coulterville Road about an hour later. Investigators have determined that he was hit by a north-bound Norfolk Southern train.
The operators of the train were unaware the train hit Timothy, Atkinson said. When Timothy wandered away, it was raining heavily and a thick fog filled the rural area, which made the search difficult, she added.
Sheriff Jim Hammond said that Timothy, who was non-verbal, had walked away from home before and that his family had no idea which direction he might have gone.
Hammond said an employee on a passing train spotted his body in a wooded area near the tracks.