Autistic Teen Missing Again; Search Under Way

MILLIS, Mass. -- For the third time in the past few weeks, an autistic Millis teenager is missing again, with local authorities launching yet another search for the boy.

Video

Gail Huff Reports On Search

NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that Andrew Grant's parents discovered he was missing from his bed about 6 a.m. Tuesday morning and volunteers began searching for him.

Last month, Grant, 16, disappeared and it took hundreds of volunteers six days to locate him. He was found in the woods a few miles from his home, unconscious in a fetal position, dehydrated with scrapes, bruises and bug bites. He was taken to the hospital.

"He had been in Childrens Hospital for eight days. He come out of the hospital, he was fine. We had him in here. We didn't let him out anymore but there were no arguments about any of that. He went back to school," his grandfather Dick Grant said.

Tuesday night, Millis police and firefighters searched the woods and neighborhoods near his house, but state authorities said Grant's family may need a more permanent solution, such as an electronic bracelet.

"It's a very supportive family and we just need a permanent solution to keep him in the home," Department of Social Services spokeswoman Denise Monteiro said.

Electronic bracelets emit a constant tracking signal that allows the wearer to be constantly tracked through a global positioning system or GPS. People with Alzheimer's disease often wear the bracelets in the event they wander away or get lost. In Massachusetts this week, Gov. Mitt Romney said the state will begin a program that will require level 3 sex offenders to wear the bracelets so police can track their whereabouts at all times.

"It's a LoJack for people. That's one of the options we have. The sheriff's department has come and offered it to us," Millis police Sgt. Tom Quinn said.

The technology has been used by the law enforcement community for many years but has been finding a broader application recently.