Boy Found Wandering Near Freeway In Mission Viejo Gets Home Safely
MISSION VIEJO (CBSLA.com) — A 13-year-old boy who was found running toward the Santa Ana (5) Freeway early Monday morning apparently has a history of wandering about, authorities said.
Around 1:43 a.m., deputies found the boy in the area of Crown Valley and the 5 Freeway, near the Kaleidoscope, running towardsLaguna Niguel, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
"He had difficulty articulating his name and where he lived," Hallock said. Authorities suspect the boy has autism, but his family never identified him as having that condition.
The teen took the teen to the Mission Viejo Station, where he gave deputies two different first and last names that didn't match families in the area, and also said he was 11, then 15 years old, sheriff's officials said.
The boy is prone to running off, Hallock said.
"He's done this before, so (his mother) wasn't overly concerned and went out looking for him in places where she's found him before," the lieutenant said.
"At some point, we got an anonymous tip where he lives," Hallock said.
When deputies went to the boy's home, the mother was out looking for her son. Hallock said she did not call authorities right away "because she usually finds him" on her own.
The parents are not accused of being negligent, "and there's no criminal component to this," Hallock said.
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