JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Rescuers said a boy under the age of 2 has died after being pulled from a retention pond late Thursday afternoon.

Rescuers responded to the scene in the 1700 block of Hodges Boulevard near the Wood Hollow apartment complex just before 5 p.m.

The boy was taken to Shands, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police said the boy's mother found her son in the retention pond.

They said the boy appeared to have been in the water for several minutes before his mother and other neighbors discovered him.

"At that point it was too late," Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Lt. Larry Schmitt said. "The child obviously drowned. They weren't able to get to the child in time. I believe the mother was one of the adults that pulled the child from the pond. I think there were some other neighbors that were assisting the mother get the child out of the pond."

Details of exactly how deep the water is in the retention pond or how the child was able to wander off still remains unclear as police continue their investigation.

"Were the appropriate steps taken to make sure the child was supervised? That's a part of our investigation to determine what happened," Schmitt said.