AMBER ALERT TN - Autistic teen Sebastian Wayne Drake Rogers, 15, missing in Hendersonville - Feb 27, 2024

[Hestia's Fire]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1766136690102460614

Interesting wording in that press release. "While we had hoped for a different outcome..." So they were hoping/expecting to find him in that landfill as many of us surmised and they definitely weren't just covering all of their bases.

Sounds like they're pretty sure they're not going to find this poor boy alive and well somewhere.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Why did Sebastian run away?

Could he have simply gone outside when the dogs were outside? But his mother thought he was going to his bedroom?

 

[MassGuy]

Interesting wording in that press release. "While we had hoped for a different outcome..." So they were hoping/expecting to find him in that landfill as many of us surmised and they definitely weren't just covering all of their bases.

Sounds like they're pretty sure they're not going to find this poor boy alive and well somewhere.

Yeah, none of us were buying the nonsense that they were just covering their bases. If you’re hoping to find a dead body, then you know he’s dead.

Hopefully this doesn’t turn into another Summer Wells.

 

[BenjaminJAndersonAlly]

I'm thinking SR may have left while mom was starting to fall asleep on the couch talking to stepdad. Assuming the door may have been unlocked at that point and then mom locks it when she puts the dogs up and goes to bed while SR is still outside. If this were the scenario, would SR knock on the door, or yell or make some sort of noise if he tried to re-enter the house? I also wonder if SR's bed was made when mom discovered he was missing in the morning or did it appear he had slept in it for awhile and then got back-up?

Similar happened to us once.

My autistic 11-year-old had gone out the front door while it was still unlocked in the evening.

Not realizing, my husband locked it for the night.

Moments later, we noticed he was missing & rapidly started searching everywhere.

Found him locked out in the front yard about 5 minutes later as we had gone to check the backyard ponds first (always check the water 1st).

Our son told us he had gone out to look for his owls (to check if the mailman had brought his eBay package w/owl Beanie Babies).

We asked him, “Why didn’t you bang on the door or yell or something?”

He answered, “The door was just locked. I couldn’t come in.”

Autistic children’s brains function differently. There is a wide spectrum, and through the neurodiverse thought process, they do not always respond or react the way one would expect a neurotypical child would.

 

[Mimimom]

This absolutely breaks my heart & hits home with me (being the mother of an autistic pre-teen). :”(

Same here

Similar happened to us once.

My autistic 11-year-old had gone out the front door while it was still unlocked in the evening.

Not realizing, my husband locked it for the night.

Moments later, we noticed he was missing & rapidly started searching everywhere.

Found him locked out in the front yard about 5 minutes later as we had gone to check the backyard ponds first (always check the water 1st).

Our son told us he had gone out to look for his owls (to check if the mailman had brought his eBay package w/owl Beanie Babies).

We asked him, “Why didn’t you bang on the door or yell or something?”

He answered, “The door was just locked. I couldn’t come in.”

Autistic children’s brains function differently. There is a wide spectrum, and through the neurodiverse thought process, they do not always respond or react the way one would expect a neurotypical child would.

Absolutely! My ASD child does not react in what many consider a typical way.

 

[Mimimom]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1766136690102460614

That press release doesn't sound like they are looking for a live Sebastian

 

[SleutherGirl]

That press release doesn't sound like they are looking for a live Sebastian

Nothing good comes of searching landfills. Poor boy.

 

[sdcali]

*Well, back to the beginning. Why did Sebastian run away?

Chris and Katie Proudfoot gave an interview to local news channel WSMV over the weekend. The mother wept as she said: "I just want my baby to be ok... He's not a runner. He's never run away before. I don't know why he walked out that door... We've been combing over that day, and even the weeks before he left, and I haven't been able to figure it out. That morning he was laughing, he was joking."

Sebastian Rogers missing update as foul play feared

The 15-year-old vanished a week ago from the home he shares with his mother and stepfather in Sumner County, Tennessee.

www.newsweek.com

"That morning..." and the rest of the day into the evening leading up to bedtime?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

No evidence or leads found reported. What evidence or leads led them there? Why did they expect to find a body? Cadaver dogs were there. It was a somewhat short search. They knew what they were searching for. How did they know? In between they were going back to the home backyard taking photos, etc. What made them scale back the search so quickly? Because they know he didn’t run away? Mom says so. He’s not a runner. They don’t understand why he walked out the door, not ran out the door. I really want Sebastian found, he reminds me so of Harley Dilly, who really didn’t run away, but just hiding out for awhile.

 

[MassGuy]

"That morning..." and the rest of the day into the evening leading up to bedtime?

That's incredibly problematic. That's the wrong time period to be concerned about, and likely indicates that something happened much earlier than we've been told.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"That morning..." and the rest of the day into the evening leading up to bedtime?

Yes and leading up to immediately before the statement is paraphrased- ‘it was a normal day’. No it wasn’t. Nothing was normal that day or he wouldn’t have picked this one day to run away or walk away if everything was normal.

 

[investigatefred]

In the interview I shared a few posts above, it almost sounds like he's hidden from the parents before...The stepfather said when the mom called him at work that morning, he thought Sebastian was "goofing around again" and mom searched places he would "normally" hide, couldn't find him, so they did a 3-way call to police.

I don't know much about autism myself, but I do know everyone has different reactions to various situations/stimulants, etc. Although sadly we know all too well how these events usually turn out, I will continue to hold out hope that he is found somewhere safe.

This recent case of a non-verbal autistic child below gives me hope-

Non-verbal autistic teen missing in Arizona found nearly 200 miles away in New Mexico

DEMING, N.M. (KRQE) – A 13-year-old teen, who is described by his family as being a non-verbal autistic child, was reported missing and found nearly 200 miles away from home in Deming, Ne…

www.krqe.com

 

[SMK777]

LE's statement that they concluded their search at the landfill but "had hoped for a different outcome" made me blink.
It's probably just very poorly worded.

Unless they’re so convinced by evidence we are unaware of, that he’s deceased, that there was no relief at not finding him.

 

[Eli9]

No evidence or leads found reported. What evidence or leads led them there? Why did they expect to find a body? Cadaver dogs were there. It was a somewhat short search. They knew what they were searching for. How did they know? In between they were going back to the home backyard taking photos, etc. What made them scale back the search so quickly? Because they know he didn’t run away? Mom says so. He’s not a runner. They don’t understand why he walked out the door, not ran out the door. I really want Sebastian found, he reminds me so of Harley Dilly, who really didn’t run away, but just hiding out for awhile.

There has to be a reason for so much searching around the home. @MassGuy posted an "X" video earlier where they had the public utility crew at the house and they removed the grates from the storm drains to search in there. And then the land fill. I just don't like where that leads my mind.

 

[SMK777]

There has to be a reason for so much searching around the home. @MassGuy posted an "X" video earlier where they had the public utility crew at the house and they removed the grates from the storm drains to search in there. And then the land fill. I just don't like where that leads my mind.

I think they meant what they said about shifting towards a criminal investigation.

 

[NyxNY]

"That morning..." and the rest of the day into the evening leading up to bedtime?

Good catch.

 

[UnapologeticallyAspie]

View attachment 488777

Investigators sift through Kentucky landfill

Investigators sift through Kentucky landfill as 'precautionary measure' in search for Sebastian Rogers

www.wkrn.com

*earlier report:

*as soon as mom woke up, she immediately knew Sebastian was gone & within three minutes mom called 911 (paraphrasing)

Just in case my foot. I think that they are saying that phrase as to not alarm anyone. But we here, us sleuths, know what this means. MOO.
My best guess is that they have information that we don’t have, obviously, and that information leads them to the landfill. JMO.


ymmv IMHAspieO

 

[Eli9]

I think they meant what they said about shifting towards a criminal investigation.

Same.
Did we ever confirm that mom and SR went out to dinner on that Sunday night of 2/25? I think it was discussed here in this thread that they had dinner at Texas Roadhouse but I don't remember if that was confirmed.

The stepdad CP has told interviewers that they have been vetted and cleared but we have never heard that from LE. Just that the family is cooperating.

An anonymous group of business owners have ponied up a $3,000 reward.

Also initial reports indicated SR was carrying a flashlight. That information has gone dark. I have questions about that.

 

[Skigh]

Just in case my foot. I think that they are saying that phrase as to not alarm anyone. But we here, us sleuths, know what this means. MOO.
My best guess is that they have information that we don’t have, obviously, and that information leads them to the landfill. JMO.


ymmv IMHAspieO

Could a cadaver dog have indicated around their dumpster?

 

[UnapologeticallyAspie]

This absolutely breaks my heart & hits home with me (being the mother of an autistic pre-teen). :”(

Same with the exception that I am autistic. The cases that involve children and adults on the spectrum always hit me the hardest. Especially the children.

MOO. IMHAspieO ymmv