A boy with autism was reported missing in Gwinnett County. Here's what happened next...

Frantic search for missing boy with autism

We’re learning more about a search for a ten-year-old boy with autism. He disappeared from his home on Bethany Church Road in Snellville late last month. The Gwinnnett County police aviation unit spotted the boy and guided officers on the ground to him.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Authorities are releasing more details about how they were able to find a 10-year-old boy with autism who had been reported missing last month.

What we know:

A boy was missing, and his mom was desperate. Gwinnett County police body cam video shows an officer radioing in his description. "The 10-year-old is going to be in a tan shirt, New York state is on the shirt, brown sweatpants, black shoes, he’s on foot," the officer said.

Police sent out officers on the ground and in the air. Air-1 took off to help in the search. "It’s always a little scary for parents when a child goes missing," said Tactical Flight Officer Steven Johnson with the Gwinnett County Police Department’s Aviation Unit.

It happened around 9 p.m. on April 29. The boy, just 10 years old, disappeared while playing near his home.

What they're saying:

"I wanted to be able to get there and help as much as possible," said Officer Johnson, who is part of the crew that got the call and is a dad. "Just trying to think about what you would do or what you can do to help as a parent, let alone an officer."

Officers from Gwinnett County police fanned out. "We were using infrared," Officer Johnson said. Finding a person at night in the dark with trees obscuring the view is challenging even with infrared cameras. "It’s harder for the IR camera to penetrate through, so it becomes a lot more difficult to spot people."

Police scanned the woods for two-and-a-half hours searching for the boy, Johnson said.

The Air-1 crew decided to check near the child’s home one more time before they headed back to refuel. "We ended up spotting him in a field about 200 yards from his house," Johnson said.

Air-1 spotted the boy alone in the woods, appearing to dance. "Every once in a while, he would go hide under a tree and just ball up and sit on the ground," Johnson said. "We love being able to find bad guys. When we find people who don’t know they’re in trouble or they need the help, it’s a great relief."

Paramedics treated the boy, and police returned him to safety.