Missing boy spent 11 days wandering New York subways

[Jade Tigress]

New York (CNN) -- A 13-year-old teenager with Asperger's syndrome spent 11 days in October wandering New York's vast subway system until a police officer recognized him from a missing persons' poster, according to police and the youth's mother.

Francisco Hernandez Jr., who has Asperger's, a developmental disorder that affects the ability to socialize and communicate, disappeared on October 15, after he thought he was in trouble at school, according to his mother, Marsiela Garcia of Brooklyn.

Garcia told CNN that she contacted police when her son went missing, but received little help.

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was asked about police actions in the case on Tuesday, during a news conference on other, unrelated subjects. He said police "waited for a few days, because obviously (the missing persons unit) would be overwhelmed if we took every report of a young teenager not home."

Kelly said proper protocol was followed.

"I believe that all appropriate action was taken to find this young man," Kelly told reporters.

Article.

I have a couple things to say. First, I feel 13 years is too young to overlook a missing persons report. I understand teenagers run away, but 13 is too young to not be concerned if parents do not have contact with the child. Typically at that age, if they run away they go to a friend's or relative's house.

Second, the boy has Asberger's syndrome. This should have been taken into account in deciding the priority of a search. I'm glad he was returned home safely.

Do you think "all appropriate action was taken to find this young man" ?

 

[Bruno@MT]

Part of me would like to say no. But I can also understand their point of view. They probably get a lot of these calls, and most of the time, they turn out to be with a friend, family member, or be otherwise safe but at unknown whereabouts.

They probably don't have the manpower to charge out full force for every such call.

The only thing I think which should have prompted quicker action was the fact that he had asbergers and thus would be more vulnerable, or apt to run into problems. In this case, I don't think they should have waited so long.

 

[jks9199]

That would not have been acceptable in my department. He was a missing, endangered (by age & mental condition) child; search efforts would have been started immediately. Given his age and without knowing all of the circumstances involved (some of the relevant ones don't make it to the press), I won't say that they would have continued indefinitely -- but the bare minimum would have involved notifying local agencies, checking likely haunts (including a thorough check of the house), and contacting friends. Things should have picked up when it became days, not hours.

One thing I want to note is that we don't have all of the circumstances -- and some of them won't be public. Just about every agency has at least one kid who runs away so often that the cops know the kid's info better than the parents... We had one girl who ran away so often that several of us carried pre-completed forms for her, and the department had every copy of each school portrait for about 3 or 4 years... Nor does the article actually say much about what was done by the police. Just that they didn't drop everything o look for him.

Also, we don't know what was actually communicated to the police by the family or when. I just read about a case where a kid wasn't reported for several hours after failing to return home from school...

 

[bluekey88]

That's just terrifying. As a parent of special needs kids, not only could I see somethign like that happening....but if the authorities didn't prioritize the search (on mental health issues alone, not to mention age)...it woudl be heart-wrenching. The damage and trauma that can be suffered by someone sacred and lost with a disorder like that is nearly incomprhensible.

In fact, one of my foster kids went through something like this. He wandered away from home and wandered around for a while in the city. In this case, his parents (for cultural and neglect reasons) didn't make a fuss, so no one was lookign for him. He eventually made it to a shelter where the word went out on the local news...no one came to calim him. Ultimately, he the family was found, the child was removed and is now in my care...but the behaviors he picked up, the anxiety he now sufferes from (as well as the reactive-attachement issues that probably pre-date getting lost in the big city) are awful.

We, as a society, really need to do better at protecting our own and our most vulnerable. We try, but often fall short of the mark.

Peace,
Erik

 

[MJS]

This is disgusting IMO, and while I understand that the NYPD is busy, any missing person, especially one under these conditions, should have been looked at right away. I find it interesting that this was said by the PD:

"The New York City Police Department originally treated her son's case as that of a runaway, Garcia said. After five days, the police department's missing persons unit paid her a visit and gave her advice on where to look, she said."

So the NYPD gave the PARENTS advice on where to look? So basically they were expecting her to conduct her own investigation? Sorry, unacceptable.

In addition, in lieu of the child abductions that take place every day, to shrug this off for 5 days isn't right. I dont believe in this wait 24hrs to see if they show up crap. I take calls all the time from distraught parents who state their child never came home from school. When I tell them I'll send an officer to take a report, half the time they'll ask about that time frame. No, there is no time frame, and at the least, I'll send someone to talk to the parent and check the area.

Just the other day, a parent called, I offered to send someone, but she wanted to wait a few, until she checked with friends, etc. She called back a short time later stating that her child was still at school.

JKS made a good point when he said this:

"Just about every agency has at least one kid who runs away so often that the cops know the kid's info better than the parents... We had one girl who ran away so often that several of us carried pre-completed forms for her,"

Yeah, we have a few of those as well. Of course, these repeat runaways, usually surface either a few days later or later on that night. Its pretty sad that as soon as I start gathering info. I can already figure out why the parent is calling.

 

[shesulsa]

This is, sadly, a typical response to a missing persons report.

The circumstances which should have prompted news coverage, an amber alert and a more concerted effort would be that the boy has a documented disability, the nature of which would impede his social appropriateness.

So no, I don't think all appropriate action was taken. When a minor teen with a disability goes missing, it should be treated as though a small child were missing for they are just as vulnerable.

Ever since my mother went missing, I've paid attention to missing persons cases in the news - the people who tend to get found are those who get media coverage right away, yet some TV stations won't broadcast missing persons cases until they receive verification from the PD which most don't want to give out or do so when they have time on their monumental schedules.

It's quite disappointing and should give voice to those dead teens found each week.

 

[jks9199]

This case probably didn't meet the criteria for an Amber Alert. To avoid flooding the public with Amber Alerts, there are very specific suggested criteria to issue one; see here. Basically, the kid's got to be believed to have been abducted and in serious danger (which is why most family abductions don't lead to an Amber Alert -- and most child abductions are familial abductions, typically during a custody dispute), and there has to be some solid information to put out beyond "look for the kid!"