Missing autistic child located, returned to parents by Lake County Sheriff's Office

William Tilton, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·1 min read

Oct. 7—On Oct. 5, a Concord Township resident saw on the Lake County Sheriff's Office App that there was a missing 7-year-old autistic boy who lived nearby.

So he decided to search his backyard and ended up locating the missing juvenile in a heavily wooded thicket, and alerted law enforcement immediately, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Office Facebook post.

The post stated the child was found to be in good health and was returned to his parents.

According to the post, at approximately 3:38 p.m., the Lake County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to an address in Concord Township, regarding a 7-year old autistic boy who had wandered away from home. Within minutes, deputies were on scene traversing the heavily wooded area in which the juvenile was last seen.

Sheriff's Office App users were notified via an automated alert of the deputies' presence in the area, along with a photograph of the missing juvenile. Residents began canvassing the area for the missing boy as well.

Members of the Lake County UAS Drone Team were also deployed to the area to begin an aerial search. Also assisting in the search efforts were the Lake County Sheriff's Office K-9s, Mentor Police, Lake Metroparks, Concord Township Fire Department, Burning River Search and Rescue K-9 and UH AirMed, the post stated.

Lt. Zachary Ropos urges residents to download the free Lake County Sheriff's Office app to be alerted in the event of an incident. The post stated this is just one instance where this app has proven to be beneficial.