I'm pretty sure one of the articles I read said that Ricky is adopted, they have adopted all of his siblings except one and they are in the process of adopting that last one. Ricky has gone off on his own before but never for this long. His biological mother, who lives in Jackson, is not considered a suspect. His biological father is in jail in Colorado. Ricky took his piggy bank, 12 fruit snacks and his favorite action figures with him.
http://lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050708/NEWS01/507080331
"Authorities have said Ricky, who has attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder and bipolar disorder, is resourceful. They believe he could elude police for this long; they said he became streetwise while living a transient lifestyle with his biological mother.
Casey Jo Gleason, 24, denied Thursday that she lived like that.
"The last time I saw him was when he was 3," she said, "so how could I teach him how to hitchhike and scavenge for food?"
She said she is living in Harrison, about 100 miles north of Lansing, and doesn't have transportation to come help with the search.
Ricky is the oldest of five children in Lisa and Tim Holland's home. They have one biological child, and have adopted Ricky and two of Gleason's other children. They are in the process of adopting the children's other sibling.
The Holland family is staying as positive as possible, said spokesman Rod Weston, who is Ricky's cousin and an editorial assistant at the State Journal.
The younger children adore Ricky, often following him around the house and imitating him. "They don't understand what's going on,'' Weston said.
Police told the Hollands to stay home so they can bring Ricky to them. Weston said that's what's hardest for his uncle, Tim.
"Inside he's screaming, and not being able to do anything is killing him," Weston said."