A 14-year-old boy who suffers from a form of autism was found safe after he went missing for several hours overnight Tuesday near his rural Nisswa home.
The teen, who was missing for more than five hours, was found after an extensive air and ground search by several law enforcement agencies, along with the help of tracking dogs.
The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office was called at 8:37 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a teen who went missing after he wandered off from his residence on the 21000 block of Tuxedo Road in Lake Edward Township in rural Nisswa, which is near the Parker Scout Reservation.
Crow Wing County Sheriff Chief Deputy Dennis Lasher said the parents called for help after their son left the residence "to calm down" after a family discussion. Lasher said the family said it is typical for their teen to go out for a walk when he needs to calm himself down. The boy left to go for the walk and when he didn't come back home in his normal time, the parents were concerned.
The sheriff's office set up a perimeter for the search area that surrounded the residence. The search went north to where the Paul Bunyan State Trail and Molle Lake Road intercept, around Parker Scout Reservation, an area where the boy enjoys walking.
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The area is west of the residence, west to Crow Wing County Road 127, and east of County Road 3. North Long Lake is south of the residence.
Lasher said outside law enforcement agencies were called in to help with the search, including the Minnesota State Patrol, which provided ground and air assistance. The Morrison County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit and the Stearns County Sheriff's Office bloodhounds, trained to locate lost people, also assisted in the search. Others who assisted by ground were the Crosslake and Nisswa police departments. The state patrol's helicopter arrived to help with the search about 11:30 p.m.
Lasher said the sheriff's office didn't want any family or other volunteers helping with the search because having extra bodies search for the boy could impact the bloodhounds as they tracked the scent.
However, Lasher said a good Samaritan did ask to help and was allowed to do so. That man found the boy just before 2 a.m. Wednesday walking on the Paul Bunyan State Trail near Mollie Lake Road. Lasher said deputies went up and down the trail several times, but never saw the boy. The boy was safe and uninjured and said he walked to Nisswa and back.
"Thankfully we found him when we did, it was cold out," Lasher said. "He had a light coat and a hat on. The parents were very ecstatic and pleased to have their son found."
Just before the boy was found, Lasher said the sheriff's office was beginning to prepare for an extensive search Wednesday morning.
JENNIFER STOCKINGER may be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5851. Follow me at www.twitter.com/jennewsgirl on Twitter.
