Authorities Searching for 2-Year-Old Boy with Autism Who Disappeared Near His Michigan Home

The child, who is known to climb, walked away from his home on South Bauer Road in Watertown Township on Monday, according to police

Authorities in Michigan are searching for a 2-year-old boy with autism who disappeared near his home.

The search began Monday afternoon after the child walked away from his home on South Bauer Road in Watertown Township, according to a news release from the Clinton County Sheriff's Office.

The child was last seen “wearing gray and blue shorts and a blue sweatshirt,” Michigan State Police said in a social media post alongside a photo of the missing boy, whose name has not been released by authorities.

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Clinton County Sheriff Sean Dush said the toddler was at the home with a babysitter when he disappeared, according to CBS affiliate WLNS-TV. The babysitter claimed the boy vanished while she was in the shower for less than 10 minutes.

Multiple people saw the boy walking north on Bauer Road near Avalon and Riverside Drive. The child was originally described as a 3-year-old, but his grandfather John Jones said he is still 2 years old.

Based on photos shared with authorities, Dush said the child is believed to have gotten “at least a half mile” from his home, according to the Lansing State Journal.

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The search is currently focused on the Looking Glass River, Dush said Tuesday, per the Journal.

In the meantime, the CCSO is asking residents in the area to be on the lookout for the child, and to check their homes, cameras, cars and more.

Authorities said the boy is known to climb, according to FOX affiliate WJBK and MichiganLive.com.

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Specialized search crews have been called in, and “worked throughout the night” to find the boy, the sheriff’s office said.

Infrared heat-seeking devices were used to search for the missing child, Michigan Live reported.

Michigan’s Emergency Management & Homeland Security Department has joined both the CCSO and MSP as the search for the boy approaches its second day.

The CCSO said that no more volunteers are currently needed, having received an outpouring of support in wake of the news.

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