Trinity Mount Ministries

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Doctors and cops among 277 arrested in human trafficking, online prostitution sting in Florida


By: 
  • Posted: 
  • Updated: 
POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) - A week-long undercover sting targeting human trafficking and online prostitution in Polk County ended with 277 arrests that included doctors, pharmacists and law enforcement officers.
"That's the most we have ever arrested in the history of the sheriff's office," Sheriff Grady Judd said.
"Operation No Tricks, No Treats" started last Tuesday, October 10 and ran through Monday, October 16. During that time, undercover detectives posted fake ads or profiles online posing as prostitutes or someone who solicits prostitutes. Other detectives responded to profiles and ads posted by prostitutes.
According to the sheriff's office, 51 of the arrests were related to those who advertise as prostitutes online and 209 of the arrests were those who solicited undercover detectives posing as prostitutes. Seventeen arrests were made for other offenses.
Sheriff Judd identified some of the suspects arrested in the undercover operation as doctors and pharmacists, former and current law enforcement officers, a lawyer, two men who traveled to have sex with minors and two sex offenders.
These are some of the men arrested that the sheriff identified:
  • Cancer surgeon at Tampa General Hospital
  • Pediatrician at Health Care Alliance in Wesley Chapel
  • Teacher from Lake Academy
  • Active Colonel in the US Marine Corps
  • Air Force veteran
  • Retired Broward County deputy sheriff
  • Retired police officer from Birmingham, Alabama
The sheriff's office even caught one of their own. Former Sergeant Luis Diaz resigned from the force after 17 years.
"We are absolutely embarrassed," Sheriff Judd said. "We hold our own accountable. He messed up and no longer works for the Sherriff's Office."
Investigators say 215 suspects drove to Polk County from locations throughout Florida. Some were in the state visiting from Alabama, California, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
"Welcome to Polk County," Judd said to them during his news conference.
Polk County detectives worked with detectives and investigators from Haines City police, Lakeland police, Lakes Wales police and Winter Haven police.
"We are committed to fighting human trafficking by arresting those who engage in prostitution and trying to identify human trafficking victims," Sheriff Judd said in an earlier news release. "It's no secret…you need to stay out of Polk County if you're going to commit crime."
Those arrested for soliciting a prostitute were:
1AdamsMark2/11/66WMRuskin, FL
2Aderhold JrJohn7/30/83WMStatesboro, GA
3AlbertJohn8/12/86BMWinter Haven, FL
4AlcantarCesar10/2/79HMLakeland, FL
5AldanaNelson5/3/77HMTampa, FL
6AlejandroSamuel11/5/94HMKissimmee, FL
7AndrewsDexter4/11/91BMKissimmee, FL
8AntoineEddy3/28/53BMRiverview, FL
9AugusteSteve5/14/86BMOrlando, FL
10BarbosaJoel9/12/81BMKissimmee, FL
11Beltran-ApontePedro11/22/98HMKissimmee, FL
12BenjaminShuai2/17/96BMKissimmee, FL
13BennettJustin5/12/89WMMulberry, FL
14BertiDeigo1/14/76HMKissimmee, FL
15Blas-AvilesAldo3/25/97HMMulberry, FL
16BowmanRyan3/17/79WMTampa, FL
17BranchLashown10/24/88BMLakeland, FL
18BritoJonathan5/26/81HMTampa, FL
19BrownWilliam4/6/81BMDavenport, FL
20Brown JrGuy2/27/86BMClermont, FL
21BurgessStephen2/24/69WMTampa, FL
22BurkeMarvin5/1/90BMApopka, FL
23CaballeroJorge8/27/66HMAuburnale, FL
24CariasJuan6/24/79HMTampa, FL
25CastroHarry12/8/75WMOviedo, FL
26CeberoCarlos8/22/74HMMulberry, FL
27ChaemchoeyNavapat3/19/84OMLakeland, FL
28ChanRobert10/22/71AMLakeland, FL
29ChapelleSpencer10/7/87WMKey Largo, FL
30ChenPeter1/21/67AMPlant City, FL
31ConteRichard2/3/75WMClermont, FL
32CourtneyArthur3/6/88WMKissimmee, FL
33CruzRichard8/6/94HMKissimmee, FL
34CunhaEduardo4/2/68HMApopka, FL
35DaultaHemant2/6/93IMTampa, FL
36DavisEric10/26/69BMLand O' Lakes, FL
37DavisLarry2/25/43WMLakeland, FL
38DebesaSerafin6/22/81WMWinter Haven, FL
39DiazLuis11/22/73HMPolk County,FL
40Dos-SantosWilliam4/27/83OMKissimmee, FL
41DowdyDonald8/2/63WMPlant City, FL
42DugueDiego11/22/78HMKissimmee, FL
43DuranChristian7/23/91HMRuskin, FL
44DustalKevin3/12/66WMLakeland, FL
45EllisonEric6/14/71BMTampa, FL
46EscobarAlec8/9/97HMLakeland, FL
47EscobarJulio10/26/88HMWinter Garden, FL
48Espina-PalmaOwen3/28/78HMPlant City, FL
49Etheridge, Jr.Percy3/14/70BMWinter Haven, FL
50FeltonDennis12/29/92WMTampa, FL
51FeregrinoAlegandro11/14/95HMDavenport, FL
52FernandezJeran5/28/95HMDundee, FL
53FernandezEdgar11/26/97HMDavenport, FL
54FerrerDaniel5/3/91WMDavenport, FL
55FigueroaFrancisco6/2/92HMOrlando, FL
56FisherJason4/19/85WMBrandon, FL
57FlorescaVirgil9/1/77AMSt. Pete, FL
58Flores-SolorzanoFrederik2/16/91HMLake Worth, FL
59ForeroHarold1/31/71HMTampa, FL
60ForestJonathan3/28/88WMPolk City, FL
61FosterChandler5/1/92WMKeizer, OR
62FranquizJesus3/31/72HMDavenport, FL
63FreemanFrank5/28/65WMMagnolia, DE
64GalindoDruso2/22/68HMOdessa, TX
65GarciaRenado1/29/88AMLakeland, FL
66GeddadaSuresh5/10/84AMTampa, FL
67GibrilAmro6/21/89IMOrlando, FL
68GilbertJonathan2/22/87BMTampa, FL
69GonzalezCarlos10/30/92HMWinter Haven, FL
70GonzalezAlexis6/15/79HMDavenport, FL
71Gonzalez-QuintanaYandy6/1/84HMTampa, FL
72GoveyJohn6/22/62WMWinter Haven, FL
73GreggRon3/22/95BMBrandon, FL
74GuptaShobhit11/15/89WMClermont, FL
75HaChau9/7/79WMLakeland, FL
76HallThomas10/8/63BMTampa, FL
77HarrisWilliam6/10/77WMPinellas Park, FL
78HarrisonCarlon3/4/80BMKissimmee, FL
79HawkinsMarcus11/30/98OMRiverview, FL
80Hernandez JrMiguel6/4/97HM 
81Hernandez JrAlberto12/31/81HMPlant City, FL
82HillCreston6/7/88BMTampa, FL
83HongAlfredo12/15/89OMKissimmee, FL
84HoustonJames5/16/80BMDelmar, DE
85HowellEmery3/24/62WMHighland City, FL
86HoyosUlises9/7/87HMDover, FL
87HugginsBraxton4/27/94BMLakeland, FL
88HulbertJustin7/25/93WMOrlando, FL
89HullDavid5/10/58WMLand O' Lakes, FL
90HundleyJordan2/28/99BMLakeland, FL
91HuntsingerChris5/14/73WMGastonia, NC
92JacobSalil11/23/66WMValrico, FL
93JohnsonDemetres8/21/70BMKissimmee, FL
94JohnsonDaniel7/18/89WMWinter Garden, FL
95JonesDarius4/20/89BMLakeland, FL
96JonesDortrie6/11/83BMOrlando, FL
97Juan-MartinezJose3/3/95HMTampa, FL
98JUVENILE 17 yrs oldHMOrlando, FL
99JUVENILE 16 yrs oldHMClermont, FL
100JUVENILE 17 yrs oldHMOrlando, FL
101JUVENILE 17 yearsIMLakeland, FL
102KambleShashikant3/10/87IMTemple Terrace, FL
103KawasmehSaad10/4/74OMOrlando, FL
104KhadseAkshay7/15/92OMOrlando, FL
105KhaledGebarin1/19/51OMTampa, FL
106KimmellSamuel8/10/92WMNevada, MO
107KingTony5/13/80WMTarrytown, GA
108KlotchDouglas4/24/46WMPalmetto, FL
109LagoanAben6/3/85BMLakeland, FL
110LanierRaymond3/22/84WMPlant City, FL
111LeeElliott2/25/85BMDunwoody, GA
112LetchworthSamson9/11/80WMLakeland, FL
113LopezAngel9/14/89HMLakeland, FL
114Lopez-BorregoJose8/23/74HMTampa, FL
115LopshireJordan8/5/87WMMatthews, NC
116LowesAdrian12/8/73WMWinter Springs, FL
117LucasMarco2/21/93HMLakeland, FL
118LykenLawrence4/22/93BMDublin, GA
119LynnRobert10/31/83WMCleveland,TN
120MaclinJustin7/17/97BMRiverview, FL
121MaldonadoYonatan3/6/98HMOrlando, FL
122Marin-SosaMigdonio4/19/63HMOrlando, FL
123MartinezAlejandro12/5/84HMLongwood, FL
124Martinez-MaldonadoCarlos4/24/81HMRiverview, FL
125MathesKevin7/26/67WMMulberry, FL
126McGowanJohn3/29/96WMAvon Park, FL
127McSwainNicholas4/5/82BMLakeland, FL
128MejiasOmar10/22/91HMCape Coral, FL
129MelendezAlfredo11/23/91HMTampa, FL
130MeliaAnthony7/22/64HMDickenson, TX
131MerkielMichael3/25/87WMPlant City, FL
132MerrillWillie3/14/78BMLakeland, FL
133MillerMichael5/19/73WMMelbourne, FL
134MillerDavid3/4/59WMOcala, FL
135MirandaLuis10/16/95BMLakeland, FL
136MitchellFoley12/7/82BMDetroit, MI
137MontanezFrancisco8/24/54HMLakeland, FL
138MontesanoAnthony6/2/73WMLakeland, FL
139MoralesRichard12/3/78HMBrandon, FL
140MuscatoDavid11/4/56WMLithia, FL
141NetoMario6/25/97HMLakeland, FL
142PaschallDeatrick4/5/76BMLakeland, FL
143PatelBhavikkumar8/5/75IMLakeland, FL
144PattersonMark7/21/59WMPlant City, FL
145PenaJose8/11/77HMClermont, FL
146PerezJuan8/7/84HMKissimmee, FL
147PerezGonzalo4/15/96HMPlant City, FL
148PerezChristian3/5/82HMSefner,FL
149PerezJose11/23/87HMSt Petersburg,FL
150PersaudShawn4/6/95IMOrlando, FL
151PetiRichard9/29/65WMElizabeth, NJ
152PilatoChase10/2/96WMOrlando, FL
153PonceCarlos10/1/76HMLakeland, FL
154PotnuruSamrat3/16/91IMLake Mary, FL
155ProctorPatrick3/17/56WMToronto, CA
156QuinteroEnrique2/1/90HMFrostproof, FL
157RachkoJared3/8/99WMWinter Park, FL
158RamirezHector1/16/92HMNorman Park, GA
159RamirezRaul10/11/90HMSan Jose, CA
160RamirezMatthew6/21/96HMWimauma, FL
161RamirezAntonio5/14/96HMNorman Park, GA
162RamjitRyan4/12/84IMOrlando, FL
163RamosEduardo8/6/83HMOrlando, FL
164RectorJames10/7/58WMClermont, FL
165ReddickShaquon2/27/97BMEustis, FL
166ReyChristopher11/25/86WMClearwater, FL
167ReynoldsDonald10/2/54WMHoover, AL
168RichmanBrian6/6/79WMWinter Springs, FL
169RiveraJessie6/5/93HMPlant City, FL
170RiveraHector2/15/86HMTampa, FL
171RiveraChristopher1/4/72WMDavenport, FL
172RodriguezDavid10/21/90HMBaton Rouge, LA
173RodriguezJuan Luis11/2/78HMOrlando, FL
174SaikhoSengdao3/23/71AMLakeland, FL
175SalgaldoLuis3/18/90HMOrlando, FL
176SanchezDalbim12/25/89HMBrandon, FL
177ScottKevin10/29/65BMNorfolk, VA
178SerebrowskiYisroel8/12/77WMOrlando, FL
179SerranoMerlin9/17/76HMMiami, FL
180Silva Da RosaAllessandro2/21/78HMOrlando, FL
181SinghVijay8/1/70OMTampa, FL
182SmithJoshua1/29/75WMBelleview,FL
183Smith,Jr.Charles2/18/69WMPlant City, FL
184SteinhauerJoshua4/4/78WMBrandon, FL
185StokesChristopher8/19/84WMMulberry, FL
186SuarezOmar2/28/83HMBrooksville, FL
187SummersRobert5/17/74WMTampa, FL
188SwainMalcolm11/22/59WMLongwood, FL
189TadlockRex7/9/53WMPlant City, FL
190TaipaleChristopher2/26/79WMSumpter, MI
191TannerCharles8/21/78BMPlant City, FL
192TaziHicham7/11/83OMOrlando, FL
193TerceroSantiago2/25/85HMTampa, FL
194TomainoSteven9/21/66WMAustin, TX
195TorresJoseph4/14/94HMOrlando, FL
196TorresAramis3/18/72HMDavenport, FL
197Trejo-MartinezJoakin5/4/94HMMulberry, FL
198VasquezJuan3/13/75HMWinter Haven, FL
199VegaSanto1/23/77HMKissimmee, FL
200WalshMichael10/13/87WMClermont, FL
201WardChristopher12/27/74WMBartow, FL
202WatersRaymond6/24/68BMPalmetto, FL
203WilkersonLeon11/14/77BMRiverview, FL
204WillettTyler8/22/85WMOcoee, FL
205WilliamsKenneth9/26/81BMLakeland, FL
206WoodTravis2/3/91WMMulberry, FL
207YagualJose9/25/73HMGroveland, FL
208ZhuYe12/5/82AMCape Coral, FL
209ZollJustin12/14/78WMRiverview, FL
Those arrested for offering to commit prostitution were:
1AbrahamElly11/24/95HFKissimmee, FL
2AllenPriscilla10/5/90BFTampa, FL
3BaihatTabatha2/2/85WFOrlando, FL
4BuckleyShannon6/18/94WFKissimmee, FL
5CastendykPaul9/11/97WMMulberry, FL
6CollinsLatoya8/25/81BFOrlando, FL
7CortesEduardo1/22/71BMTampa, FL
8CradradoGiselle11/7/91HFOrlando, FL
9Davila-RodriguezYesenia12/27/89HFClearwater, FL
10DobbsAmber4/18/96WFOrlando, FL
11Doby-MorrisAntoine2/16/88BMHollywood, FL
12EavesKokiela10/20/89BFTampa, FL
13FigueroaAmanda3/13/95HFKissimmee, FL
14FinnSteven4/28/80WMCoral Gables, FL
15GlennCatiesha11/28/85BFTampa, FL
16GonzalezVictoria3/29/90HMTampa, FL
17Gonzalez-PerezYoel8/8/84HMTampa, FL
18HarrisRegina10/18/88BFAtlanta, GA
19HeiserHeather6/21/80WFTampa, FL
20HerronKiana10/19/95BFOrlando, FL
21IsaulaJunior6/1/97HMMiami, FL
22JeuneYasmick4/5/88BMPompano Beach,FL
23JohnsonLeah8/4/78WFLakeland, FL
24KnockenusRhonda9/18/84WFBartow, FL
25MartinezVictoria9/28/89HFTampa, FL
26MirandaYessenia1/20/86HFDavenport, FL
27MorejonEduardo7/13/90HMTampa, FL
28MukeshArlene6/23/97IFWinter Garden, FL
29NazarioNicole9/27/96HFOrlando, FL
30NewtonShornlin7/5/84BFOrlando, FL
31POSSIBLE HUMANTRAFFICKING VICTIM21 yrs oldBFOcoee, FL
32POSSIBLE HUMANTRAFFICKING VICTIM36 yrs oldWFSpring Hill, FL
33POSSIBLE HUMANTRAFFICKING VICTIM27 yrs oldHMRichmond Hill, NY
34POSSIBLE HUMANTRAFFICKING VICTIM25 yrs oldWFGainesville, FL
35POSSIBLE HUMANTRAFFICKING VICTIM28 yrs oldWFOrlando, FL
36PowersJosefina8/29/60WFPort Orange, FL
37RibelinBrittani12/30/91WFRiverview, FL
38RiversRobert10/25/89BMTampa, FL
39RobinsonChina12/13/97WFFt L Lauderdale,FL
40ScottMarcel1/16/95HMSt. Pete, FL
41ShaversChevy9/10/90BFTampa, FL
42SimmonsMegan10/26/90BFWinter Haven, FL
43SmithSarah2/27/86WFWinter Park, FL
44StanleyTiffany4/18/78WFTampa, FL
45SulavkaAlex1/8/99WMPinellas Park, FL
46Talavera-RamosFabiola7/29/93HFKissimmee, FL
47VickersKelsey4/4/94WFNew Bern, NC
48VillavicencioJennifer11/13/86WFTampa, FL
49WhitfillJessica4/15/92WFOrlando, FL
50WoodKayla9/30/92WFDebarry, FL
51WorleyKambriel1/29/83BFOrlando, FL
Others arrested were: 
1AriaBrianna3/2/96HFOrlando, FLTransporting for Prostitution
2BrinkleyKeivon4/5/94BFOrlando, FLDeriving proceeds from Prostitution proceeds from Prostitution
3CarbonellGeorge5/28/75WMHomelessPoss of Meth, Heroin, & paraphernalia
4Chavez IIIAlejandro9/28/85HMPlant City, FLDeriving proceeds from Prostitution proceeds from Prostitution
5CruzGladibel8/19/76HFOrlando, FLDWLSR Knowingly
6FayMegan7/17/87WFThonotosassa, FLAiding & Abetting Prostitution, Transporting Offer to commit Prostitution
7HamiltonDrumond1/14/80BMDeland, FLPossession of Marijuana
8HawkinsBentley4/20/64WMDavenport, FLLewd Battery, Use 2-Way Communication Device, Travel to Meet a child
9HernandezAbdiel3/17/76HFTampa, FLBattery
10McSweeneySean8/18/88BMOrlando, FLDeriving proceeds,Ecstasy,Paraphernalia
11PattersonLarry12/14/88BMOrlando, FLPoss cocaine WITS, Poss vehicle to sell drugs, Resisting arrest, Loitering, Poss paraphernalia
12PernaherreraAlvaro7/10/94HMOrlando, FLTraveling to meet minor, Use of computer to seduce child, Transmisstion of material harmful, Lewd Battery
13PlastiniLouis4/4/48WMOrlando, FLDeriving proceeds from Prostitution proceeds from Prostitution
14VasquezArmando10/27/57HMSpring Hill, FLHuman Trafficking
15VaughnWilliam8/9/79WMTampa, FLPoss firearm by convicted felon, Poss controlled substance, Poss Cocaine, Poss Meth, Poss Marijuana
16VieraAngela5/5/86WFSt. Cloud, FLTrafficking Cocaine, Resisting arrest, Loitering, Poss Marijuana & Paraphernalia
17WalkerAmy5/6/86WFValrico, FLTransporting for Prostitution



Thursday, September 27, 2018

The creative techniques that rescuers use to find missing children with autism

By Darran Simon, CNN

(CNN) — The voice of a cartoon character. A favorite song. Messages from their parents.
When children with autism go missing, rescuers get to know their likes and dislikes, and use familiar sounds to draw them out during the search.
This week, authorities pumped pre-recorded messages from Maddox Scott Ritch's parents into the sprawling Rankin Lake Park in Gastonia, North Carolina -- the last place the 6-year-old boy was seen before he disappeared on Saturday.
Maddox has autism, a bio-neurological development disability that usually appears before the age of 3, and is nonverbal. Autism affects 1 in 59 children, according to the National Autism Association, and more than half are classified as having an intellectual disability or a borderline intellectual disability.
Experts said it's important to quickly develop a profile of a missing child to determine what techniques should be used to find them, and to be creative.
"Many of these children are more likely to respond to a favorite character, a unique interest or familiar voice," said Lori McIlwain, a co-founder of the National Autism Association. "It's imperative that first responders always talk to the parents to get a sense of what their particular likes and dislikes are. You could have one child that likes fire trucks and one that doesn't."
Seven years ago, searchers blasted one of young Joshua Robb's favorite tunes, Ozzy Osbourne's "No More Tears," in an effort find him after he disappeared into the San Bernardino National Forest in California. A rescue team heard some mumbling in the bushes and found the then-8-year-old 24 hours after he ran from his school.
"He was just standing there in a bush, no shirt, no shoes, just in his shorts and was very happy to be found," Justin Wheaton, one rescuer recalled in an interview with CNN at the time.
Maddox Scott Ritch
Maddox Scott Ritch
McIlwain, an association board member who has a teenage son with autism, said that kind of personalized approach has been successful.
In 2012, she worked with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to create federal search and rescue guidelines for missing children with special needs that law enforcement use. McIlwain said police officers have even played the voice of cartoon character Elmo in their search.
In some cases, rescuers have been too late.
In 2013, members of the New York City Police Department and other first responders combed the streets playing a recording of Avonte Oquendo's mother calling out to him. The 14-year-old, who was nonverbal like Maddox, was last seen on surveillance video running out of a school on Long Island City on the afternoon of October 4.
Police also deployed dogs, combed surveillance footage and repeatedly searched each of New York City's 468 subway stations because of Avonte's love of trains.
The teenager's remains were found three months later in the East River.
More than a decade ago, Brian Herritt, a California police officer whose son has severe autism, said he realized that other police departments didn't have the skills to deal with people with autism. So he started training them.
Now retired, Herritt said he teaches the first responders and other groups he trains to immediately develop a profile of the missing child, even during the initial call to dispatch. Herritt said time is critical because children with disabilities don't understand the danger they're in and gravitate to dangerous things, such as water or traffic.
The mortality risk for those with autism is twice as high as the general population, largely due to drowning and other accidents, according to the autism association."Six-year old kids don't go missing forever," said Herritt, who is not involved in the search for Maddox. "He's somewhere, they just have to continue to put resources to find him.""I'm sure every officer ... wants nothing more than to find this boy and reunite him with his family," he said. "As a cop, we protect people, and we protect people with special needs more because they need protection."

The creative techniques that rescuers use to find missing children with autism

By Darran Simon, CNN

Updated at 11:38 PM ET, Wed September 26, 2018

Mother pleads for return of missing 6-year-old 01:11
(CNN) — The voice of a cartoon character. A favorite song. Messages from their parents.
When children with autism go missing, rescuers get to know their likes and dislikes, and use familiar sounds to draw them out during the search.
This week, authorities pumped pre-recorded messages from Maddox Scott Ritch's parents into the sprawling Rankin Lake Park in Gastonia, North Carolina -- the last place the 6-year-old boy was seen before he disappeared on Saturday.
Maddox has autism, a bio-neurological development disability that usually appears before the age of 3, and is nonverbal. Autism affects 1 in 59 children, according to the National Autism Association, and more than half are classified as having an intellectual disability or a borderline intellectual disability.
Experts said it's important to quickly develop a profile of a missing child to determine what techniques should be used to find them, and to be creative.
"Many of these children are more likely to respond to a favorite character, a unique interest or familiar voice," said Lori McIlwain, a co-founder of the National Autism Association. "It's imperative that first responders always talk to the parents to get a sense of what their particular likes and dislikes are. You could have one child that likes fire trucks and one that doesn't."
Seven years ago, searchers blasted one of young Joshua Robb's favorite tunes, Ozzy Osbourne's "No More Tears," in an effort find him after he disappeared into the San Bernardino National Forest in California. A rescue team heard some mumbling in the bushes and found the then-8-year-old 24 hours after he ran from his school.
"He was just standing there in a bush, no shirt, no shoes, just in his shorts and was very happy to be found," Justin Wheaton, one rescuer recalled in an interview with CNN at the time.
Maddox Scott Ritch
Maddox Scott Ritch
McIlwain, an association board member who has a teenage son with autism, said that kind of personalized approach has been successful.
In 2012, she worked with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to create federal search and rescue guidelines for missing children with special needs that law enforcement use. McIlwain said police officers have even played the voice of cartoon character Elmo in their search.
In some cases, rescuers have been too late.
In 2013, members of the New York City Police Department and other first responders combed the streets playing a recording of Avonte Oquendo's mother calling out to him. The 14-year-old, who was nonverbal like Maddox, was last seen on surveillance video running out of a school on Long Island City on the afternoon of October 4.
Police also deployed dogs, combed surveillance footage and repeatedly searched each of New York City's 468 subway stations because of Avonte's love of trains.
The teenager's remains were found three months later in the East River.
More than a decade ago, Brian Herritt, a California police officer whose son has severe autism, said he realized that other police departments didn't have the skills to deal with people with autism. So he started training them.
Now retired, Herritt said he teaches the first responders and other groups he trains to immediately develop a profile of the missing child, even during the initial call to dispatch. Herritt said time is critical because children with disabilities don't understand the danger they're in and gravitate to dangerous things, such as water or traffic.
The mortality risk for those with autism is twice as high as the general population, largely due to drowning and other accidents, according to the autism association."Six-year old kids don't go missing forever," said Herritt, who is not involved in the search for Maddox. "He's somewhere, they just have to continue to put resources to find him.""I'm sure every officer ... wants nothing more than to find this boy and reunite him with his family," he said. "As a cop, we protect people, and we protect people with special needs more because they need protection."

NCMEC - Search For Missing Children


Select an image to view the poster for one of these missing children.







If you have any information, please call:
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)