DEMING, N.M. — A missing teen with autism has been found in New Mexico — about 200 miles (320 kilometers) from his home in southern Arizona, according to New Mexico State Police.
The 13-year-old turned up at a Walmart in Deming on Tuesday after going missing from his family’s home in Tucson the night before. Hoping to identify the young man, authorities in New Mexico posted a photo on social media and asked for the public’s help.
New Mexico State Police said someone recognized the teen within minutes from an earlier Tucson Police Department post. They confirmed on Wednesday that the teen had been reunited with his family and was safely home.
“Thank you to everyone who made this possible by sharing, commenting and spreading the word,” New Mexico State Police said in a social media post.
The family shared their gratitude for police and the community on social media. They have no idea how the teen got to Deming.
“My mother woke up and he was no longer in the house. The front door was unlocked and he was just gone,” the boy’s brother, Mikel Desmond, told Albuquerque television station KRQE.
The family contacted police, searched nearby areas and created a missing persons flyer that they shared online. As the hours passed, Desmond said he began to lose hope of finding his brother. He said even if someone had given the teen a phone and told him to call home, he wouldn’t have been able to do so because he can’t communicate verbally.
It was Tuesday evening when the family received a call from authorities in New Mexico after the boy was checked at a local hospital.
Desmond said his brother showed up at Walmart, where he tried to buy food and drinks but had no money. The teen then went to hide in the bathroom and was later found by police.
“It’s amazing how quickly news can spread through social media,” says Desmond. “And we never thought so many people would reach out and ask how they can help.”
The family drove three hours each way to pick up the boy and bring him home.
Tucson police said they are investigating the boy’s travels.