He was in the road. He tries to get out of the house sometimes. I'm not trying to lie to you guys. Like I'm just trying >> You are though. Has he been gone for a full day? We're talking about today and you're still off on la la land with the other day. What's not clear to me is how you managed to let this little boy walk out of your apartment. >> Okay, well that part's not clear to me either. >> On September 25th, 2024, officers responded to a residence after reports of a missing child. The boy, who is autistic and non-verbal, had wandered out of his apartment prompting neighbors to alert authorities. So. I'm going to maybe just put him in your apartment for now. >> Yeah. Yeah, 100%. Okay. It's all good. Yeah. Let's check. Do you want to go see the lights on my car? You're okay, bud. 41's Yeah. Yeah. Cuz he was in front of a 41. >> And then started walking. Yeah, cuz he was right in front of them when he started when he was stepping out in the road when we saw him. Somebody reported him on campus. Oh, for sure. For sure. They So, we have a real-time information center and they kind of are aware of like all the habitual runaways and stuff like that. So, they said possibly Oh, okay. this this kiddo could live off of K Drive. So, obviously we'll we'll do a little work and look into that. Cuz in order to get to where he's at, he would have had to cross Ridge. Yeah. Come on, bubba. You're okay. Just hop in. You're not in any trouble. Go ahead. Climb in. You're okay, dude. We're going to show you some cool stuff. >> You're okay. Good job. Oh, thank you guys. Oh, I was so worried. I have kids of my own, so I was like freaking out. What did you guys see? What made you guys pull over? We were coming this way on Ridge and he was literally right there at the corner of the apartment. >> apartments. Yeah, in front of the apartments. But he was standing just on the other side of that white line and we were in this lane. >> He was Yeah, he was in the road. >> He was in the road and we saw him in the street. >> out around him and then pulled over. >> child and then we pulled over and I was like, "Oh god, please don't go in the street." Did he give you any problems like when you pulled over? No, he was No, he didn't try running off and you know >> Well, thank you guys. You guys probably saved his life. >> [laughter] >> How How long did it take you to see him? Was it like he was like up close and personal to you? Uh far enough that I could slow down and swerve around, but then we realized he was a kid. >> Was there was there cars behind you kind of zooming by, too? >> And you guys were the only ones? No, luckily it was later. Yeah. Well, I think you guys are good. Yeah. Okay. Thank you so much for your help, guys. We really appreciate it. We'll we'll get working on all of it. Thank you. Yeah, we'll make sure he's good. Okay, good. Thank you. All right. Bye, sweetie. I'll see you later. Have fun. All right. All right. >> High five. Good job, buddy. I'll see you later. Do you know where you live, buddy? Can you point? Is it that way? Is it that way? Can you show me where he lives? Can you point me? Mhm. Can you point it out? I don't know if they have like non-verbal autistic programs here, though. Hey, Bubba. I'm going to put your seatbelt on, okay? All right, let's go. Ready? Come on. Come on, bud. What is your name, ma'am? Cuttlefish. Can you kind of tell me a little bit about what happened tonight? Basically, he's autistic. He's non-verbal. He tries to get out of the house sometimes. >> Sure. Do you guys have any like preventative measures in place? >> we do. Like what? >> can show you the uh Okay, yeah. Yeah, that's part of it. >> we have like the locks on the top. Like that he can't reach? Yes. Okay. Do you guys have any like alarms on the doors or anything like that? No, because I can't afford You can't? What does that mean? >> I I mean like I can't like afford to put those up there. Okay, that's part of it, right? I'm just curious when you say you can't what you mean by that. >> Yeah, so but we are working on that. Okay. Have you ever been linked up with like child protection before? >> No. >> Okay. Never. Um so, if you do get a a child case somewhere down the line, maybe one might have to be generated because of this, depending on how it goes, but use it to your advantage, right? So, has anything like this happened before? Never. Okay. So, I'll tell you I I've worked in child protection for 4 years. They'll come out, they'll do their investigation. It's not going to be anything crazy. >> going to show up. Yeah, absolutely. Use it to your advantage because they have a closet filled with supplies and some of the supplies in that closet that they have are door alarms. So they'll give you door alarms anytime >> So they'll give me like They have way more resources at their fingertips than we do for situations like this. Has he ever like gotten out and you've caught him like as he's Okay. There's only one exit entrance into the apartment. >> So there's one exit to the front door and there's one exit to the So you guys are on the ground floor then? Okay. When did you realize he was gone? An hour ago and I immediately was like, "Oh my god, where is he?" You noticed he was gone an hour ago. Has he a phone? Yeah. That's not an hour ago. I mean but Listen up. I'm not trying to jam you up. >> real quick because you told me a totally different story than you told him. You told me he's gotten out several times. No, I told you that he's gotten >> No, I told you that he got out two times ever. You didn't specifically say how many times. You told me he's gotten out. >> Well, you just told me he's never gotten out before. So why is the story changing now? So he's never gotten out before. Only one time only. Two times prior but now it's only But in So I'll be honest with you, ma'am. Him and I were sitting on the side of Ridge Road. Thankfully a nice man and and woman stopped before they ran him over with their truck. He was in the almost in the middle of Ridge Road, right? So you're saying you noticed minutes ago that's unacceptable. Okay. >> Absolutely unacceptable. >> I understand. I do feel So why are you lying? I'm not trying to lie. >> You You You No, because in order to lie you have to make a conscious decision to lie. I'm not trying to lie to you guys. Like I'm just trying >> You You are though. >> You're obviously scared that there's going to be some type of repercussions. Yeah, but there's no need to lie. Yes, but that's how I feel. But minimizing this doesn't help. Look, if you would have if you would have told me and said, "Hey, he got out a little bit ago. I went around and I looked for him. I didn't know what else to do so I called He's gotten out before. Well, you told us he got out two times prior to this. So No, the only time he's ever gotten Let's start over. Start over. Okay. So do you want to start over? I I would love to. Okay. So only one time ever did he ever get out of the house. And how long ago was that? That was like about a year ago. >> Okay. Was that from this apartment? No. Where was he? How was he found during that incident? The neighbors found him. Okay. Were the police ever involved with that? >> Mhm. How long was he gone that incident you think? Maybe 25 minutes. Okay. And tonight, take me through when you last saw him up until you realized he was gone. So, I was sleeping and I didn't What time did you go to bed? I didn't realize I went to bed at about 9:30-ish. Well, it's 8:50. No, I went to bed last night at 9:30. Hold on. But not when was the last time you saw him? Around 7:30. Okay. What were you doing at 7:30? Watching Netflix. Okay. And where was he? He was in the living room. Was he watching Netflix? Yes. Okay. >> At what point was there you lost visual on him? Like a like a displacement from him to me. Yep. Okay. So, around 20 minutes or so. So, 7:50? I Ma'am, I'm just you know better than I do. I'm just trying to get a a time frame here. >> Like I explained to you guys that I around 11:00 around 7:30-ish I went to sleep and then around When did you go to sleep? I told you I went to sleep at You just told me you were watching Netflix. No, I I said I went to sleep No, you didn't. You just said you were watching Netflix with him in the living room. At 7:30 though. The night before. No, but at 7:30 I was going to sleep. >> In the living room? Mhm. Do you normally sleep on the couch or in the living room? Okay. Mhm. So, at 7:30 you fall asleep. That works. Thank you so much, ma'am. Take him home. With me. Does he live here primarily? Yes. Okay. Okay. So, let's try >> around 7:30 I went to sleep and then around 7:50 he went to sleep. How do you know that if you were asleep? Because he went to sleep around 8:00. How do you know he went to sleep at 8:00 if you were asleep at 7:30? Do you understand where I'm having a hard time here? >> Yes, I do understand why you're having a hard time. >> So, I went to sleep around 7:30. He went to sleep around 7:00 8:00. Again, you're not understanding my questioning, right? Okay. >> If you fall asleep at 7:30 How do I know >> How How know he went to sleep? >> Because he falls asleep after me. >> So you're assuming. So the reality of the story is you went to sleep at 7:30 and he was still awake roaming the apartment. >> Correct. >> So now that we've got that, what time did you wake up? I woke up this morning around Okay, first off, why why do you keep having a discussion with us about things that are not we're not talking about. This isn't involving the time frame we're talking about. >> Okay. Take a deep breath. Mhm. Okay? You're not in any trouble right now. I know. You're you're you're kind of putting yourself into this de facto issue that we're going to need to have. So basically he goes to sleep before I go to sleep. So it sounds like today you fell asleep before he did. Yes. Look, I'm a parent and I can tell you that I get exhausted, too. And I have also fallen asleep before my kids, but I do on those occasions make sure that my house is secure. I understand that you're running into Fine. That's fine. Great. >> and I do that first. But that's where we're we're at, okay? So you fell asleep before he did. He was still up watching Netflix. I understand, okay? >> we were watching it together. So what we're asking is when did you realize he was gone? Around 9:30 at night. Well, that's impossible cuz it's 8:50. So what what else he's been missing for a whole day? No, no, no. 9:30 at night last night. No, look, I I maybe maybe you're not understanding. Has he been gone for a full day? No, no. So how would how did you wake up at 9:30 if it's 8:55? >> So 9:30 >> about tonight. Yes. Yes. So you fell asleep. What time is it now? 8:50. 8:50, okay? How long did you realize from the point in time you fell asleep to the point in time you woke up? >> Maybe like 25 minutes at the most. >> slept for about 25 minutes, is that what you're saying? Yes. Okay, so then you woke up after 25 minutes and what happened? Then I realized he was missing. >> did you what was your first what was your first order of business from there? I walked outside and I immediately started looking for him. Why such a long period of time from the point in time you woke up? I don't know what her track is. My immediate response was like I'm going to go outside, I'm going to look for him, I'm going to search for him. After like 20 minutes of searching for him, I looked for How where what route did you did you take? I immediately went over here around the corner. Okay. I looked for him everywhere. >> do you think that search lasted for? Maybe like I just told you, 25 minutes or so. How old is he? So, here is the deal. You know he's autistic, right? Obviously, he's not very high-functioning, right? What I guess what we're kind of trying to convey a little bit to you is that maybe you need to have a little bit more exigent circumstances when it comes to these types of >> I have locks on all the doors. >> You should have immediately instead of traveling around, you should have immediately called the sheriff's office because God forbid, let's put this in a different note. Someone didn't run over him, but somebody kidnapped him. What are you going to do then? And now we're looking at an hour time delay of something Like I get it. Like I understand. Like I get that. >> look, we're not here we're not here saying you're Right? That's that's >> that's kind of what you're saying. >> No, no, ma'am, it's not. If if we would have came up here and you would have had a a story for us that that logically made sense, right? People up. I get it, right? I'm not a parent, but I've been I've been in child welfare for long enough. I'm not saying you're not, ma'am. I'm So, that's not what this is not what we're saying. What we're saying is there's a more appropriate response and there's a way to talk to us that's logical as opposed to trying to lie to us and we're sitting here for way longer than we need to be here just trying to figure out what happened. You're not wasting our time by any means, but we could have been long gone. But because you start lying and and misconstruing things, Well, it's up for debate, right? But regardless, right? If we would have just walked up and we got the story as soon as we we long gone. So, now you kind of forced the hand a little bit. >> Okay, so what would be the correct response? The second that he's gone, you call 911. Do you Okay, so to give you an idea, your ma'am ma'am, to give you an idea, the second we get a call of a missing child 13 or under, everyone breaks and everyone comes. There's helicopters in the air and there's dogs on the ground. >> So, they immediately That's the highest priority call we get. I'll give you a little bit of an understanding based off of what is going on. I was going to a domestic battery investigation, immediately turned around cuz I was the closest you and I were to him. And then progress call. I can't hear you. It's the highest priority call we have. For missing children. Especially autistic, non-verbal, and his age, every car that we have available will be at your house. Okay, I'm circling the area looking for him. >> just so I know, like for future reference, like >> Have you ever heard of the program Safety Net? >> No. Okay, so basically what that is is they give you trackable technology for him, especially since his age, he's he's non-verbal, he's autistic. It's a very good program to have. Trackable technology, talks they teach you kind of the process that our canines go through to to try to track him. Okay. >> So having those things in place is way more appropriate, obviously. You didn't know about it, so we can't hold it I didn't know that. I Of course, and not a lot of people do. That's that's kind of what we're here for. Okay, thank you. >> in the future, right? We we're not going to wait an hour sitting >> Well, I will never wait an hour again. >> If you would have If you But if you would have just walked outside and took a turn to the right, there with my lights I didn't even know about that. I had these This is a question I I have to ask you. Have you consumed any alcohol tonight? No. Last 24 48 hours? Okay, so we're going to go through this one more time. And I'm not going to say a word. >> Okay. And he's not going to say a word. Okay. I want you to take me from the time that you started watching Netflix, you say at 7:30, until the time you woke up, take me through that. He went to sleep around 7:30, and I went to sleep around 9:00. And Does that not add up? Forgive me, I'm not trying to be disrespectful. Please don't >> No, I went to sleep around 7:30 and >> you by chance slow or or anything like that mentally? I I mean I'm I'm not trying to not trying to be insulting. I'm We're talking about today, and you're still off on La La Land from the other day. No, I went to sleep around 7:30. I went to sleep around 7:30 last night. I'm not asking about last night, sweetie. We're we're talking today where where he went missing. That's what I'm asking. Okay, so no. I'm fine. >> So from Okay, from today, this night, right now, just like all of me the last three or four hours ago, right? >> Okay. He was watching Netflix at what time? 7:30. Okay, at that time, what were you doing? I was watching Netflix, also with him. >> What next happened? Then I took a shower, and I was going to sleep. >> Okay, so now after that. >> Okay, so you took a shower, left him watching Netflix. When you got out of the shower, was he still at the apartment? >> He was still here at the >> time was that? >> What do you mean of course? He was gone at some point. >> No, like >> you mean no? We found him. What time did you say you took a shower? >> I got in the shower at 7:30. >> So at the same time he's watching Netflix, you hop in the shower while he's distracted. Yes. Okay. You hop in the shower, you get out, is he still there? >> Yes, he was still >> that? He was on the couch still watching Netflix. >> Cool. What time was that around? It was around 7:15-ish. Like, I mean, it takes me 2 seconds to take >> But you don't go backwards. Yeah, you started your shower at 7:30, so >> So it takes me 15 minutes to take >> so it would be 7:45, not 7:15. You can't go backwards in time. >> I mean, like, it only takes me 2 seconds to take a shower. >> Ma'am, have you had anything to drink tonight? No. Something's not right here. We're not talking about how I understand how long it takes you to take >> seconds to take a shower. So like, I don't care about that. Like No, but we care about that, cuz it's important to our timeline. >> timeline. Just I want you to understand that That's fine. >> So, when we put our report together, we want to make sure that what you are telling us makes sense. Yeah, so Okay, so I'm telling you like, at the end of the day, I took a shower at 7:30. Okay. ish. Uh-huh. And then, 2 seconds later, I got out of the shower. >> So what you said is you took a shower 15 minutes after you took a shower. Help me out here. Yes, that's what So around 7:45, you you get out of the shower. And then, is he still watching Netflix? >> He was still watching Netflix when I got out of the shower. >> And then, what did you do next? >> Then I put my clothes on. And when you put your clothes on, you go from No, hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. You go from the living room, I take it, into your bedroom to get clothes? >> Yes, and he was still in the couch. >> And then you go change in your bedroom, and you go back to the living room, where is he? >> he was on the couch the whole time. >> Okay, so now we're getting somewhere. Mhm. And then, what happened? Then nothing. Like, he was still on the couch all the whole time. >> Okay, we're trying to keep progress along here, okay? So, you're done with your shower. >> So, like at what point did I see him not on the couch? >> Correct. Okay. So, I went to the bathroom. When I went into the bathroom, then I came out of the bathroom, and then he was not on the couch anymore. Okay, where was he at that time? He was in the bathroom. I was I was in the Oh, he's using the bathroom. >> two bathrooms. We have two bathrooms. So, he was in the other bathroom. Okay, cool. So, then you went to go get your clothes on. Mhm. So, maybe maybe 8:00-ish, maybe? You're already You're clothed? >> before 7:45-ish. Okay. Why are you shaking your head? >> Because it doesn't None of this makes sense, ma'am. >> still make sense. Because I'm trying to explain to you that I was in the bathroom and using the bathroom, and then I came out of the bathroom. >> I understand that part of That part I is crystal clear to me. What's not clear to me is how you managed to let this little boy walk out of your apartment. >> Okay, well that part's not clear to me, either. No, but your story of your timeline of when you last saw him So, the last time I saw him was around 7:48-ish. Like I can't give you an exact time. Eaton, it's 9:00 right now. Look at your phone. Help yourself with your own memory. Are you sure you're not on something? You're kind of like stalling. >> not. I'm not. I'm just You guys are making me nervous. Like >> Ma'am, we've given you every opportunity to not be nervous. >> like when you question people like you're making them nervous. >> it have These are simple answers. I know that, but like you understand that you're making people nervous. >> a very simple thing, right? Like Okay, we were watching television around 7:30. I went to go take a shower, maybe took me 15 minutes. I came out, he was gone. >> And that's what I was telling you. >> That's not what you were telling us, ma'am. No, it was. It took me about 15 minutes to take a shower, and then after that, I maybe 28 minute Maybe 18 minutes later, then I got out of the shower. Okay, and then you go check on him, and he's still watching TV. >> He was still on the couch watching Okay. So, at what point then what happened next? >> At what point did I see him not on the couch? I don't know. >> what we're trying to So, what happened next? So, you around like let's just call it 7:50. Around 7:50, where were you and what were you doing? I was in the bathroom. You said you came out. >> pee. But you said you came out. I I did say that, but you have to understand like people do things and like they go to the bathroom and like they don't Can I just Can I just do it? Yeah, I'm Yeah. All right, ma'am. Give me your phone. Turn around. Put your hands behind your back. No. Yep. No, don't. Put your hands Put your hands together like you're praying. Like you're praying. Palms together. There you go. Right now, you're being placed under arrest for child neglect, okay? Okay. Can you please not do this? All right. We We tried everything we could, ma'am, to make sure that we weren't doing this. Okay. So, what am I being actually arrested Child neglect. >> Child neglect. Okay. All right, ma'am. So, I'm going to read you your rights since you're detained in the back of my car right now cuz I do have more questions to ask you after me and Inez talk to you, okay? You have the right to remain silent. Do you understand each of these rights as I explain them to you? Having these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me? No? Okay. So, you're going to be placed under arrest for child neglect, okay? I do believe that you are heavily intoxicated tonight. Told me it sounds like you're kind of struggling with alcohol a little bit. Sounds like you were doing good. Kind of fell off the wagon tonight in the last couple days. When I put handcuffs on you, I immediately smelled alcohol on your breath. There's about nine small liquor bottles in your trash can. So, under these circumstances, you're going to jail for that. Kiddo's going to get As long as she checks out, she doesn't have any crazy like murderers or anything in the background. >> Okay. Okay. Well, not obviously, but okay. The woman was arrested and charged with CN.