Disappearance ends with 15-year-old child in safety
On Tuesday, Sept. 24, at approximately 7:40 a.m., the Prairie du Chien Police Department responded to South 6th Street in Prairie du Chien for a report of a missing 15-year-old. Officers responded and met with the family of the juvenile.
It was determined the child was last heard from at about 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 23. Several known associates of the child were identified. Officers also received cell phone and social media account information relating to the child. A search of the home revealed information that clearly indicated the child had left on their own and did not want to be found, according to Police Chief Kyle Teynor. Through the course of the first 30 minutes on-scene, a potential location of the child was determined and officers checked that location. No contact could be made at that residence.
Through discussions with the family of the missing child, the police department agreed to utilize social media as a tool to increase public reach, creating awareness that this missing child could be in potential danger.
An effort such as this is not an “Amber Alert,” Teynor said.
“This is purely the use of social media as a tool to increase awareness of a situation. Certain criteria must be met to utilize the ‘Amber Alert’ system. This case did not reach those criteria,” he said.
The police department notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in an effort to use its vast resources to assist with the investigation.
Shortly after the social media awareness effort, the child reached out to family members and was safely returned home, Teynor said. It was determined the child was, in-fact, at the location checked by officers earlier. Adult acquaintances of the people with whom the child was with during the disappearance have been identified, and appropriate charges are being considered.
“The event of a child missing from anyone’s home will not be taken lightly. The police department will exhaust all efforts, with consultation of family, to recover juveniles who are reported missing and/or are runaways. The efforts include the exploitation of cell phone resources, the use of social media blasts and the research of social media footprints created and left behind by the missing person,” Teynor said in a statement. “Although we appreciate constructive comments made by folks on social media in an effort to assist us in our investigation, some people clearly believe we do not utilize every effort, known and unknown to the public, to recover these people.”
Teynor continued, “This child was returned home safely today. Cases like this are parents’ worst nightmares and should not be marginalized by anyone. This child is home, where they belong, and will be offered the appropriate services to address any needs they may have.”
