Is Your Son Missing? Deputies Seek Parents of Boy Found Running Near Freeway

An Orange County sheriff’s deputy found a boy running toward the Santa Ana (5) Freeway early this morning who seemed unable to tell them his name or age, authorities said.

A deputy spotted the boy on Crown Valley Parkway running toward the Santa Ana Freeway around 1:45 a.m., said sheriff’s Lt. Joe Gaul.

The deputy picked up the boy and took him to the Mission Viejo Station, where he has given the deputies two different first and last names that haven’t matched families in the area, Gaul said, and “depending upon when you ask him he’s 11 or 15 years old.”

Deputies believe the boy might be autistic, Gaul said.

The boy, who was not injured, was fed by deputies while they waited for the parents to wake up, notice their son missing and start calling law enforcement agencies, he said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department can be reached at (714) 647-7000.

City News Service