Missing elementary student found over 1 mile away from Dearborn school

DEARBORN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A little boy who appeared to have special needs was found wandering the streets of Detroit, over a mile away from his elementary school.

Good Samaritans spotted him and called the police; they stood by his side until officers arrived.

Keontae Edmondson said he was out on a job, driving along Joy Road near Central Street, when he spotted the boy around 1 p.m. Suddenly, his priorities shifted and the child's safety became his top priority.

"I just seen a young man jogging down the street and I noticed he didn’t have a coat on," Edmondson said. "And I noticed that … nobody (was) behind him, so I bust a U-turn."

Edmondson caught up to the child and tried to communicate with him, but noticed immediately that he may have special needs.

"When I was talking to him, he wasn’t particularly responding," the good Samaritan said. "He wasn’t very verbal at all."

A student went missing from McDonald Elementary School on Friday, March 15, 2024. Good Samaritans spotted him and called the police; they stood by his side until officers arrived.

Other people who saw the boy wandering also tried to help.

After contacting the police, Edmondson went live on social media to inform the public. 

"I said 'well hey, maybe if people share this, his parents or a relative or somebody could see it," he said. "I wasn’t doing it trying to be viral or nothing. I was trying to get some help for little man."

In about 10-15 minutes, Dearborn police arrived with a school official from McDonald Elementary School in Dearborn, where the boy is a student. 

"Once he saw his teacher, he was more comfortable," Edmondson said. "He seen somebody that he was more familiar with."

In a statement, the McDonald Elementary School Principal Adnan Moughni said the student walked out of the school around 12:15 p.m. after getting a drink of water. Staff immediately began searching for the child.

"Fortunately the student was not harmed or injured. Parents were contacted and I, along with several district administrators, spoke with the parents to explain what had occurred," the statement read in part. "This uncommon incident does not reflect the procedures or practices followed by staff members for the safe supervision of students. The district is conducting an investigation to determine the facts of how this situation occurred."

Police even used drones to try and locate the boy before receiving calls from those who spotted him.

"If any staff members are found to have not followed procedures then they will be held accountable," Moughni stated.

Edmondson said he is just grateful the boy is OK and that he sprung into action when he saw him.

"God just put me at the right place at the right time," he said.