PORT ST. LUCIE — A missing 13-year-old boy was found safe Monday afternoon following a coordinated search involving officers from the Port St. Lucie Police Department and the Fort Pierce Police Department, authorities said.
At about 4:21 p.m. March 2, Fort Pierce officers responded to the 2700 block of U.S. Highway 1 after receiving a report that a special needs child had eloped from the area.
Multiple Fort Pierce patrol units canvassed nearby streets and businesses. Officers requested assistance from Port St. Lucie police for bloodhound support, and security footage from a nearby gas station helped confirm the child’s direction of travel.
A bystander told a Fort Pierce police sergeant that they had just seen a child matching the description walking toward railroad tracks, according to authorities.
Tracking by PSLPD’s bloodhound K-9 Hoot, along with information gathered at the scene, led officers to a wooded area adjacent to the tracks. Ground units, drone surveillance and K-9 teams converged on the location, where the child was found safe, cooperative and suffering only minor scrapes.
The boy was reunited with his family, police said.
Authorities credited the quick notification to law enforcement, coordination between agencies and assistance from community members with helping bring the search to a safe conclusion.
Police emphasized the importance of immediately contacting law enforcement if a child or adult with special needs is reported missing.