Daniel Huxtable found after Darling Harbour, Sydney Aquarium disappearance: Family speaks of relief
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Dad gets a lump in his throat reliving the incredible moment his missing 11-year-old son is found after vanishing from a packed Sydney aquarium, as his mother reveals her sweet request after sparking a search on the whole city.
- The autistic boy who sparked a frantic police search when he went missing is back home
- Daniel Huxtable found on train several hours after leaving Sea Life Aquarium
- Relieved father David was thrilled to relive every parent’s worst nightmare
- Mom revealed her son’s simple request when he got home from his adventure
The father of a non-verbal autistic boy who went missing during a family day held back tears as he relived the harrowing ordeal when his son’s adorable request was revealed after he was found.
Daniel Huxtable, 11, went missing on Tuesday while visiting Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium with his grandparents in Darling Harbour.
NSW Police launched a wide-scale search in Sydney involving Polair, a geo-targeted SMS campaign, CCTV review and location tracking of Daniel’s iPad.
Amid fears it may have fallen into port, Daniel was found safe and sound on the North Coast Line train at St Leonards several hours later, not far from his home on the northern beaches.
The relieved parents, David and Alison, were still emotional as they recalled the nightmare on Wednesday morning.
Daniel Huxtable was reunited with his parents hours after she went missing during a family day out in Darling Harbor on Tuesday.
In fact, I’m drowning again to be honest,” Huxtable told the Today show.
I got the call and headed to the aquarium.
“I was holding it up well, but then the few times we were asked to describe what I was wearing to some people, it all started to get real and at that point it really took hold.” So yeah, it was scary.
You feel unlucky and helpless.
His wife added: ‘There are no words to describe the relief after the mental exhaustion and everything we went through.
At the time, the Darling Harbor Aquarium and grounds were packed with hundreds of families enjoying the school holidays.
While his parents were frantic with worry, Daniel was unfazed by his time alone, walking and taking trains across town.
David and Alison Huxtable (pictured with their daughters) described the disappearance of their son Daniel as the scariest days of their lives.
all i wanted was a bowl of ice cream and go to the beach with her dad when she got home, according to mom Alison.
The next morning, he was jumping on the trampoline, oblivious to the panic caused hours before.
“If you saw a neurotypical child without a mum and dad, they would clearly be in distress, they would ask for help, but Danny was just having a normal day,” Ms Huxtable said.
“He walked with a purpose and it seemed like he knew where he was going.
That’s why no one stopped to check. It seemed like it was where he was supposed to be. We are very grateful that you found it.
Polair was deployed during the large-scale search amid fears the nonverbal autistic boy had fallen overboard in Darling Harbour.
Police made 51 decisions during their extensive search with resources spread everywhere between the CBD and Hornsby.
“Essentially we followed CCTV, PolAir was active, the public was fine after the message was sent, we were able to get information from that,” Inspector Wayne Ashworth said.
“Luckily, Daniel was getting on and off the trains,”