A child with autism that went missing was safely located by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Friday afternoon.
At around 2:30 p.m. a family member reported the missing 11-year-old boy. The caller stated that the child had autism and was believed to have walked away from a home in St. John Township.
The caller was especially concerned because of a nearby retention pond, police said.
Officers worked with neighbors and began a search of the area where the child was last seen.
A little more than 20 minutes later, at approximately 2:53 p.m., a Lake County Sheriff’s Department police officer spotted the child hiding behind a bush, and he began to run. Two Lake County officers were able to corner the child and coax him to get into a police patrol car.
The child was checked by paramedics and was expected to be returned to his family.