Not really missing, Sheriff’s Office says

 

SOUTH POINT — A mother who thought her 11-year-old autistic son was missing created a tense couple of hours for emergency agencies Thursday, only to discover the child she thought was missing was actually safe with family members in West Virginia.

Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless said the woman, who lives “off and on” at 8486 County Road 1, South Point, called his office just after noon and said her child had been missing since 8 a.m. Lawless said an extensive search was conducted by the sheriff’s office as well as the Fayette Township and Chesapeake fire departments. After a roughly 90-minute search, Lawless said he received information the child was not missing.

“The child had been left in the care of friends in Huntington, W.Va., and was never in any danger,” Lawless said. “The mother of the child, had, in her state of mind, thought the child had been with her when she traveled to Ohio this (Thursday) morning but in fact he had remained with the friends in Huntington that they had spent the night with.”

The Lawrence County Sheriffs Office and the Lawrence County Children’s Services are investigating the matter.

“We are very happy that the child was found in good health” Lawless said. “We are concerned about this lady’s mental and physical state this (Thursday) morning and whether or not her children should be in her care at this time”.