The Runaway boy

[peeples]

I think this little guy likes the attention!!!
No info about the first time
2nd time LE looked for 30 hours, and was later found under neighbors bed
3rd time spotted by neighbor walking in the woods
4th time found hiding up in a tree

http://www.wmur.com/r/29582034/detail.html?hpt=us_bn4

"This was the fourth time since 2009 that Devin was reported missing. Last week, he hid under a neighbor's bed during a search that spanned two days. He returned to his thankful adoptive parents," Frazier said.

HPD said no one is in trouble, and no one is facing charges. They just want the case thoroughly reviewed, and the Division for Children, Youth and Families will do it Wednesday.

 

[gitana1]

IMO, if this kid doesn't have some form of autism, they need to really investigate if he's being abused. For a child that age to hide in the cold for 5 hours to have done it before several times, once for two whole days before being found under a neighbor's bed, is a red flag.

I thought the mom seemed very over-the-top in her last media appearance, thanking everyone. A little odd to me.

 

[Lera213]

IMO, if this kid doesn't have some form of autism, they need to really investigate if he's being abused. For a child that age to hide in the cold for 5 hours to have done it before several times, once for two whole days before being found under a neighbor's bed, is a red flag.

I thought the mom seemed very over-the-top in her last media appearance, thanking everyone. A little odd to me.

I totally Agree!

 

[~n/t~]

IMO, if this kid doesn't have some form of autism, they need to really investigate if he's being abused. For a child that age to hide in the cold for 5 hours to have done it before several times, once for two whole days before being found under a neighbor's bed, is a red flag.

I thought the mom seemed very over-the-top in her last media appearance, thanking everyone. A little odd to me.

She sounded like she was accepting an academy award.

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/...ing-nh-boy-found-parents-summoned-to-hearing/

 

[CocoChanel]

IMO, if this kid doesn't have some form of autism, they need to really investigate if he's being abused. For a child that age to hide in the cold for 5 hours to have done it before several times, once for two whole days before being found under a neighbor's bed, is a red flag.

I thought the mom seemed very over-the-top in her last media appearance, thanking everyone. A little odd to me.

BBM
I'm thinking this boy probably IS somewhere on the autism spectrum. It was mentioned that he has some form of functional disability. It would certainly explain the many times he has gone missing. I work with children and adults with autism, and it is not uncommon for families to struggle with their dear ones wandering. I read with interest this thread about shoes with a GPS tracing device imbedded. They were developed for folks with alzheimers, but they could be very useful for kiddos who wander also.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152494


I work in a community of functionally disabled adults, some with autism, and some experiencing signs of early aging and dementia. We are constantly monitoring to insure our folks do not wander away, and we are definatey going to investigate these shoes. $300 seems worth it for peace of mind!

 

[jjenny]

I don't think he is abused, he is described as developmentally delayed. But it sounds to me like this child should be in a structured environment, since his adoptive parents appear to be unable to keep him from running away. If he keeps on running off, one day it might turn not so lucky. And it's getting colder outside too.

 

[Quiche]

Nine years old? Holding him in her arms? On laps in the front seat of the car?

Uh, I think if there's some delayed development we might know what caused it, JMO.

 

[badhorsie]

************

 

[jjenny]

Attatchment disorder IMO and possibly testing behaviour, as an adopted child I know a lot about this

He looks to be enjoying the attention. Waiving at people while sitting at police car. So unlikely he will stop running off and parents don't seem to be capable of preventing it since he run off twice in one week. And since it's getting colder it could be getting more dangerous for him to be running off like that.

 

[LadyL]

this article says this is the fifth time he has run away!!!:

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/north/12005734234241/missing-nh-boy-found-parents-summoned-to-hearing/
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perhaps if the parents had to actually pay for all these searches, they'd keep a better eye on him

the taxpayers should not be footing this bill IMO

I did notice in the video, dad was holding a pet with a head cone on - maybe they've been a bit distracted if they have a pet that just went through surgery and possibly their son is attention-seeking b/c the pet is getting more attention than usual

and perhaps he should actually be in big trouble (I hope there've been some consequences at home for the other incidents but I haven't read of any):

Devin's big concern when he was found is that he would be in big trouble. For his mother, Kerrilyn Frenette, all that mattered is that her little boy was now home safe.

Read more: http://www.wmur.com/news/29522914/detail.html#ixzz1cIs1ZBoa

he seems like an adorable kid but this is ridiculous and bordering on criminal neglect, regardless of whether he has any developmental issues - the parents need a better parenting plan IMO


​

 

[Cubby]

There is a really easy fix for this. Fenced in yard and an alarm system on the doors and windows if the child tries to escape. No, I am not saying lock the kid in like the home is a prison, but there should be some type of sound alarm to notify the parents if a door or window opens.

I also like the suggestion upthread about the GPS that can be added to shoes.

I'm not going to judge the family. There are reasons for medical privacy and we don't know what kind of medical issues this child may have. Nor do we know what type of environment he may have been living in prior to being adopted by his current adoptive parents. Both which may play a part in his running.

jmo

 

[Lizbetbathory]

why be so down on the parents? they obviously care for the lil guy!

I am sorry but blaming them for being distracted by a pet because there is one in the video and saying they were TOO happy to have him back?

If they had acted any other way we would still be putting them down. I am bnot saying they are not partly to blame, but come on!


If he has a disability then that is probably WHY he ran away. He may not know that what he did was bad. To him it may have been a game. He may not have responded to searchers and because of that he wasnt found as quickly as other children, making him be "lost" more than other kids.

How often have we, with our own kids, turned our backs for a minute or 5 while grabbing laundry or using the bathroom and our lil guys have "dissappeared" ?

This guy is adopted I am sure the parents wanted a child very badly and went thru many many tests and checks before they were able to adopt him. ESPECIALLY if he has disabilities.

 

[gitana1]

You're right. And I am not blaming them, but I am concerned. If he is not developmentally delayed, the major reason for multiple runaways is abuse. So unless I hear that he has a form of autism or developmental delay, I see red flags.

Also of interest, his main concern was getting in big trouble. He hid under a neighbor's bed, in their house, for days, eating food. Not wandering, not seemingly confused, this kid purposefully bolts and hides, but knows how to care for himself to some degree.

I think of cases of seriously abused children who have run away only to be returned to something horrible. It happened when I was a child to a friend of mine who was badly abused and rode her bike on one occasion, at the age of 9, 22 miles away, at night, and then several years later, she ran to a drug house. ETA: What happened in between was horrific. But no one questioned what was happening. Same thing with some of the famous cases like A Boy Called It, IIRC.

Also, I don't have a problem with the mom being overjoyed about the return of her son. I would be too. But in the video, something about her affect seemed off to me, stagey. Like she was faking it. But that's just me.

The child was removed from his parent's home by CPS. Hopefully, they can now figure out what is going on and prevent another disappearance.

 

[krimekat]

this article says this is the fifth time he has run away!!!:

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/north/12005734234241/missing-nh-boy-found-parents-summoned-to-hearing/
​

perhaps if the parents had to actually pay for all these searches, they'd keep a better eye on him

the taxpayers should not be footing this bill IMO

I did notice in the video, dad was holding a pet with a head cone on - maybe they've been a bit distracted if they have a pet that just went through surgery and possibly their son is attention-seeking b/c the pet is getting more attention than usual

and perhaps he should actually be in big trouble (I hope there've been some consequences at home for the other incidents but I haven't read of any):

Devin's big concern when he was found is that he would be in big trouble. For his mother, Kerrilyn Frenette, all that mattered is that her little boy was now home safe.

Read more: http://www.wmur.com/news/29522914/detail.html#ixzz1cIs1ZBoa

he seems like an adorable kid but this is ridiculous and bordering on criminal neglect, regardless of whether he has any developmental issues - the parents need a better parenting plan IMO


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BBM and that does not mean tethering him to a bed or putting him in a cage. sorry

 

[PeteyGirl]

BBM and that does not mean tethering him to a bed or putting him in a cage. sorry

Do you have any ideas, yourself? I ask this question with full respect. I think these parents need ideas!

Something is definitely wrong with this "placement". Perhaps he needs a foster family with fewer children, where at least one parent is home all the time, and where parents are willing to go for some draconian measures to keep track of this child?

That said, this child is definitely abnormal, and needs parenting that far exceeds the standard "norms". He is exhibiting signs of severe sociopathy, ie, he is not responsive to conventional boundaries that conventional children tend to respect.

It sounds like this child needs an intensive, relentlessly therapeutic environment. Which involves a full time "therapist" parent, who is aware of this child's behavior at all times. What a job that would be.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Do you have any ideas, yourself? I ask this question with full respect. I think these parents need ideas!

Something is definitely wrong with this "placement". Perhaps he needs a foster family with fewer children, where at least one parent is home all the time, and where parents are willing to go for some draconian measures to keep track of this child?

That said, this child is definitely abnormal, and needs parenting that far exceeds the standard "norms". He is exhibiting signs of severe sociopathy, ie, he is not responsive to conventional boundaries that conventional children tend to respect.

It sounds like this child needs an intensive, relentlessly therapeutic environment. Which involves a full time "therapist" parent, who is aware of this child's behavior at all times. What a job that would be.

IMO This child sounds like a good 80% of foster children all of them would benefit by the bolded above.

They need door alarms and simple eye hooks placed up high to the doors leading outside. It really is that simple.

 

[not_my_kids]

Do you have any ideas, yourself? I ask this question with full respect. I think these parents need ideas!

Something is definitely wrong with this "placement". Perhaps he needs a foster family with fewer children, where at least one parent is home all the time, and where parents are willing to go for some draconian measures to keep track of this child?

That said, this child is definitely abnormal, and needs parenting that far exceeds the standard "norms". He is exhibiting signs of severe sociopathy, ie, he is not responsive to conventional boundaries that conventional children tend to respect.

It sounds like this child needs an intensive, relentlessly therapeutic environment. Which involves a full time "therapist" parent, who is aware of this child's behavior at all times. What a job that would be.

WHen my two year old started wandering due to his autism, we turned our home into a kid friendly prison. There is no sociopathy with him, he doesn't understand the social cues. All he cares about is that when he goes missing, lots of people look for him, tell him how glad they are to have him home, people from the neighborhood bring him presents and everyone laughs and is happy. To me, there's a good chance the kid in this story is the same way. The parents may be doing everything they can to keep him from doing it again, but the people outside the home may be making it worse. We had to lay ground rules with everyone that comes in contact with my son. Don't laugh about his disappearing. Don't bring him presents. Don't smile while you tell him how badly he scared his mom and dad. These are all positive reinforcement and he doesn't need that. The first time you see him after a vanishing, don't give him a hug, don't smile at him, put on a stern face and tell him how angry you are at him.

Of course, it no longer happens in my family. The windows are painted shut, nailed shut in some spots. There are double deadbolts on every door. The windows are made of Plexiglass. The doors are all alarmed with contact alarms. At night, my alarm goes off every two hours so that I can check on him. His room is fitted with a video monitor that is hard wired into the wall. But he doesn't wander anymore. However, there are a lot of parents that simply would not be able to reconcile themselves to that level of vigilance. It is a lot like living in prison, but if it's what you have to do, you do it.

 

[Nova]

Bless you, not_my_kids! I am so sorry and, frankly, a little worried about your health if you can only sleep in 2-hour intervals. (This is certainly not a criticism. I know you are doing what needs to be done. I'm just concerned for you.)

 

[AnaTeresa]

Bless you, not_my_kids! I am so sorry and, frankly, a little worried about your health if you can only sleep in 2-hour intervals. (This is certainly not a criticism. I know you are doing what needs to be done. I'm just concerned for you.)

Seconded! I hope you're able to get longer intervals some nights - it's not healthy to have your sleep cycle interrupted like that (although I completely understand the why). You are an awesome parent. I can only imagine how hard that must be for you.

 

[not_my_kids]

I figure some day my son will likely outgrow it. He's five now, but if a door is left unlocked, he still makes a break for it. (He absolutely 100% has it set in his head that the toolshed down the street is the Club House from Mickey Mouse and so he wants to go down there.) I', just saying, we tried hook and eye locks, we tried chain locks, we tried just alarms and locked doors, it wasn't enough. He figured out how to climb the wall (literally the wall itself) and take the locks off. We had to go into lockdown. But, I know that would be a lot harder for some parents. I'm lucky, I trade off shifts with my boyfriend when it comes to checking on the kids, and we have a three month old now, so we're up at odd hours anyway, and I don't mind that my house seems a little like it was built in the style of "traditional Fort Knox", but I know that it would be harder to do that if my mindset or lifestyle were different.

I don't know if it would work with the kid in this story, because I don't know how determined he is to get away. My son only wanted to wander while we were at home, never when we went out in public, but if the boy in this story is determined enough, he might be the kind that vanishes no matter where he happens to be, and that might have an even worse outcome.

I just know that abuse isn't always a reason for kids to wander off. Sometimes it's due to a developmental delay, sometimes they just want more time outside, sometimes there might be something very wrong in their home life. It does make me wonder how much time they do let the kid be outside to play in an appropriate way. Maybe his problem is that he just wants some fresh air.