Missing teen found in Renton after region-wide overnight search
A missing Bellevue teenager was found safe in Renton early Friday morning, following a region-wide overnight search by law enforcement and more than fifty volunteers.
The parents of 19-year-old Zayb Bajwa flagged down Bellevue police at 8:15 p.m. on Friday night, telling the officers that their son had ran away from his caregivers around the 5400 block of Coal Creek Parkway.
According to Bellevue PD, Bajwa is an individual on the autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), so being missing and out-of-care placed him in an extremely vulnerable situation. According to his family, Bajwa had no prior history of running off from his family.
Understanding the delicate circumstances with Zayb’s case, the BPD quickly dispatched a search perimeter along the area and began canvassing the trail and other surrounding neighborhoods. More than fifty volunteers also assisted police in this effort. However, as the area quickly grew dark, officers from multiple jurisdictions turned to unmanned aerial devices (UAS) during search and rescue efforts in an attempt to find Zayb’s body heat along the search perimeter. Reverse 9-1-1 was also initiated at this time.
Bellevue PD was helped in the search by King County Search and Rescue, the Clyde Hill Police Department, the Redmond Police Department, and the Renton Police Department.
At around 12:30AM on May 18, Renton police found Bajwa safe and uninjured in Renton, and he was taken to Valley Medical Center as a precaution.
Bellevue Police Department thanked the neighboring agencies and volunteers who ensured Zayb was found safe and reunited with his family.
