Autistic Man Reported Missing In Arleta

ARLETA (CBS) — The family of a 45-year-old autistic man who disappeared from his board-and-care facility is concerned about his welfare and Los Angeles police are searching for him Monday.

Mark Conrad Cortes went missing Sunday at 5 p.m. from his residence in the 13200 block of Branford Street, near Arleta Avenue, in Arleta.

His mother, Jeanett Cortes, said she is particularly concerned about this disappearance.

Her son has a lot of wanderlust and loves to travel but "he thinks everyone is his friend. He's a delightful human being, but in many ways is still a child and very vulnerable."

The younger Cortes has sneaked aboard airplanes to fly to Australia, South Korea and New York, his mother said.

For a while he was in treatment at UCLA and now lives just minutes from his parents house in a board and care facility. He also has a job packing things in boxes "which he loves," his mother said.

One way the family had dealt with his wanderlust was to allow him to visit friends and family in other parts of the country and those trips have worked out well, Jeanett Cortes said.

What upset her this time was the fact that he had been pretty stable for the last five years and had not just taken off, Jeanett Cortes said.

Jeanett Cortes said this time his disappearance "did not fit the pattern" and she is worried for him.

Mark Cortes is a Latino, 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds. He was wearing a red shirt, blue jeans and black shoes when he left.

He has brown hair and brown eyes, police said.

Anyone with information on Mark Cortes' whereabouts was asked to call Detective Cletus Carlton at (213) 996-1800.