Autistic Teen Found ALIVE!

An autistic 18-year-old lost in the wilderness for four days was found alive Thursday, weak but apparently fine, and reunited with his family, searchers said. WE THANK GOD!!!!

Severly autistic teen missing while hiking!

Crews combed rugged terrain early Tuesday in the hopes of finding an autistic 18-year-old hiker who wandered away from his parents. For a second night, temperatures dropped to around 40 degrees in the wilderness area where Jacob Allen is believed missing. When he disappeared two days ago, Allen had no food or water with him. He was wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt, wind jacket, wind pants and hiking boots, said Chris Stadelman, the search group's spokesman. Emergency responders and volunteers found his hat Monday, near where he had last been seen Sunday afternoon. Search crews are focusing on 10 square miles of often rugged, steep and brush-covered terrain in the Randolph County section of the Dolly Sods Wilderness area, which is in the Monongahela National Forest. "Some of it is back country where it's so thick you can't see five feet in front of you in the daylight," Stadelman said. About 45 people searched overnight Monday, deliberately lighting campfires to make themselves visible in case Allen was nearby. More than 100 searchers were expected to help in the effort Tuesday, and dogs and helicopters also were being used. Allen wandered ahead Sunday afternoon while hiking with his parents, Jim and Karen Allen of Morgantown. He didn't answer when they called his name, Stadelman said.
While Allen is described as severely autistic by his mother, Stadelman said, he is in good physical shape and likes to hike

4 year old autistic boy drowns.

July 31, 2007
BRANTFORD (AM900 CHML) - Tragedy near Brantford.
A four-year-old boy has drowned at Willow Lake Park in Brant County..
Police say the Brantford boy was playing with another child on Tuesday morning, when he entered the water and disappeared.
Park staff found the young boy and performed C-P-R until paramedics arrived on scene, but they were unable to resusitate the youngster.
His identity is being withheld until next of kin is notified.
- Ken Mann

Autistic boy who drowned remembered at funeral.

June 25,2007

NEKOOSA, Wis. - Hundreds of family members, friends and people who helped look for 7-year-old Benjamin "Benjy" Heil remembered him at a funeral.John Wilhorn described his autistic grandson as active, saying he would always grab him by the hand to take him places.Wilhorn said he would miss that hand the most."It brings comfort to the family knowing that he is with the Lord right now," Wilhorn said. "His autism is gone, and that brings comfort."Benjy first was reported missing on June 14. Hundreds of people, dogs and helicopters looked for him until his body was found five days later. Preliminary autopsy results say he apparently drowned in a pond adjacent to Ten Mile Creek less than a quarter mile from his town of Saratoga home.The funeral on Saturday was moved from Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Nekoosa to Nekoosa High School to accommodate a large number of mourners.Rev. Carl Kummer, who led the service, said the community-wide effort to find the boy was a "spontaneous explosion of love."Allen Polum and Robert Zarecki, both of the Rudolph Fire Department, helped search for Benjy."I think it's great of all the people that could come out and help," Zarecki said. "It makes you feel good that the community is behind anybody that needs it."Wilhorn said he was glad the family had closure."(Benjy) is in heaven with God now," he said. "That's what brings me joy."

Mother of drowned autistic boy seeks $5M from Maryland school.

Feb 23, 2007

The mother of a 7-year-old autistic boy who drowned in a public pool near his West Baltimore school last summer is suing the city school board and the day care company the board hired.
Harriet Cox alleges that Lafayette Elementary School officials knew her son, Tyji Chester, had autism, and in response, the school had retained Care Resources Inc. to provide a trained aide to monitor Chester and another child.
Around midday on June 6, Chester wandered off school grounds with some other students and made his way to the Central Rosemont pool a block away, said James L. Rhodes, lawyer for the plaintiff.
"His autism was such that the minute you turned your eye from him, he would bolt and run away," Rhodes said. "He was supposed to have been chaperoned for the entire day. For some odd reason - information we haven't received yet - during the lunch period, no one was watching Chester."
Rhodes did not know if Chester scaled the pool fence, slipped through an opening or received a hoist from the other students. The pool was not yet open for the summer season, and since Chester could not swim, he drowned.
Rhodes said an unidentified woman came to visit Cox at her home days after the incident and said she had been responsible for watching Chester and the other boy until the school had relieved her of that duty days before the incident.
Neither the Office of Legal Counsel, which represents the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, nor Jane Satterfield, named representative for Care Resources, returned calls for comment.

ABCs of drowning can prevent tragedies.

There are no do-overs when it comes to drowning. That is the message that Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman conveyed last week during a council meeting where he proclaimed August as Drowning Impact Awareness Month, as did Chandler and other cities across the state. The public is urged to take the message beyond council chambers and into their daily routines in Gilbert, Chandler and Ahwatukee Foothills. Berman said it takes a village to prevent drownings, adding that drowning is an area you cannot "do over." The mayor is right. Each of us - from moms and dads to aunts, grandfathers, siblings, cousins, neighbors and friends - has an important role to play in the statewide effort to prevent drownings. Because the stakes are too high to be negligent around water. Drownings take the lives of innocent people and shatter the lives of family members. Forever. The tragedies also affect classmates. Neighbors. Friends. Drownings often occur in backyard swimming pools, but we mustn't forget that danger also lurks around toilets, bathtubs, buckets and canals. We usually think of children as being victims of drownings, but adults drown, too. And all can be saved when we follow the ABCs - adult supervision, barriers and classes for swimming lessons and CPR - of water safety. Water Watchers at Phoenix Children's Hospital and local fire departments promote the ABCs throughout the monthlong campaign. The public also is encouraged to wear a purple ribbon to raise awareness in others, spreading the message far and wide to prevent drownings and to save lives. Our communities are brimming with families with young children and an abundance of backyard swimming pools. Municipal aquatic centers, such as Mesquite in Gilbert, Hamilton in Chandler and Pecos Park in Ahwatukee Foothills, are popular spots for kids during the summer months. But our warm weather creates an environment conducive to water activities beyond August, and underscores the need to take preventive measures year-round. We can start with simple eye-to-eye contact around water at all times. We can look into the various pool barriers that are available on the market as well as making certain that barriers and gates are in good working condition, and keeping the pool area clear of toys that could attract a child's attention. We also would be wise to take a CPR class and enroll our children in swimming lessons. Together we can save lives. This message cannot be echoed enough.

Reproduced with permission from:The Arizona Republic By Stephanie Paterik ©Copyright 2003 Arizona Republic

Current Stories Index

Drowning in Surprise. 4 year old autistic boy drowns in backyard pool.

March 2, 2007

A 4-year-old Arizona boy with autism has died after being was pulled from a pool in Surprise Friday afternoon. Searchers found the boy in a neighbor’s pool. Police had been looking for the boy who went missing shortly after noon. According to police the boy wandered away from his home.