Identified! TX - Midland, living Male, 13-17, can't communicate his name, found near Ward & Shandon, 30 Jan 2023 - Cordarius Lashun Pegues

[John/Jane Doe]

Collier detectives look into teen found in Texas in missing child's case

A young man found in Texas has Collier deputies working to determine if he could be a Southwest Florida child missing since 2009. Six-year-old Adji Deisr vanished from Immokalee 14 years ago. Now deputies are working with Midland Police Department in Texas to figure this out. Midland police...

www.winknews.com

 

[Beekarina]

After 3 days, I think the chances are increasingly slim this young man simply wandered away from a group home or a caring family. I think either he is Adji, or another young man who has been in a bad situation. I wonder if he was able to write anything in addition to the name Cordarius for LE? Glad he is safe now, and hope they can find out more about him soon.

 

[EllaMinnowP]

If he turns out to be Adji I will count it as a miracle.

 

[Rolypolyoly]

His face is very distinctive in his smiling photo, someone must recognise him. I wouldn't count on his name being Cordarius ruling him out as Adji, if he was only six and was abducted he could easily have been led to forget his real name over time, and be taught a new one. JMO

 

[Springrain]

I really do think his name is Cordarius.

 

[iamshadow21]

I really do think his name is Cordarius.

It's a name I've never heard before. It's lovely. And hopefully, distinctive enough (and on his birth certificate!) to find this young man's family or guardian.

 

[Tower]

His face is very distinctive in his smiling photo, someone must recognise him. I wouldn't count on his name being Cordarius ruling him out as Adji, if he was only six and was abducted he could easily have been led to forget his real name over time, and be taught a new one. JMO

I agree, and in my opinion, I don’t think he’s Adji. But if Adji were abducted by someone, I would guess they’d rename him to hide his identity.

This next part has nothing to do with your comment and it makes me sad to type it. I have only love and respect for people with disabilities, but it is statistically nearly impossible that Adji would be kidnapped and held this long if he were non-verbal with some type of disability. Whatever this young man’s challenges are, it is difficult to raise a child with disabilities. To the point where, in my opinion only, it wouldn’t happen.

In my opinion, the most likely reason he remains unidentified, is a family member had a medical episode and he left the house. As others have said, I can’t imagine why no one in the community recognizes him yet. He would have qualified for educational assistance and needed healthcare, etc. I cannot believe it’s taking this long to identify a disabled child.

ETA: typo

 

[iamshadow21]

In my opinion, the most likely reason he remains unidentified, is a family member had a medical episode and he left the house. As others have said, I can’t imagine why no one in the community recognizes him yet. He would have qualified for educational assistance and needed healthcare, etc. I cannot believe it’s taking this long to identify a disabled child.

RSBM

Yeah, that's my feeling, too. I'm really worried there's an elderly grandparent or aunt or something who's either in the hospital or, god forbid, deceased in a home or apartment and hasn't been found yet. Either that, or a parent who's had a medical episode or an overdose.

 

[Beekarina]

He may also be from out of the area. i.e. Small chance he was traveling with family, or they just moved there, and some sort of medical emergency happened. It really feels wrong/strange no one seems to recognize him.

With someone taking and holding a non verbal child for several years, I hate to speculate too much, but I think anything certainly is possible. Especially if the child was able to understand, and could communicate to some degree.

 

[Zella]

I'm really worried there's an elderly grandparent or aunt or something who's either in the hospital or, god forbid, deceased in a home or apartment and hasn't been found yet. Either that, or a parent who's had a medical episode or an overdose.

I'm worried about that too.

As others have noted, despite his clothing being dirty, it seems like he was being fed, and I find it interesting he wasn't found to need medical attention when he was picked up. That suggests to me that he wasn't out in the cold long and likely wasn't living on the streets for a long time and would seem to rule out his having been extensively abused or neglected recently.

It's certainly possible he's been abandoned, but I think it's very likely someone was caring for him, and for whatever reason, they're not able to do so. I'm wondering if--whoever his caretaker is--is incapacitated or deceased, and he stayed in the house for a while by himself before finally wandering outside.

I suspect his name is what he said it was. But what if that's the name of his caretaker instead?

MOO

 

[iamshadow21]

I'm worried about that too.

As others have noted, despite his clothing being dirty, it seems like he was being fed, and I find it interesting he wasn't found to need medical attention when he was picked up. That suggests to me that he wasn't out in the cold long and likely wasn't living on the streets for a long time and would seem to rule out his having been extensively abused or neglected recently.

It's certainly possible he's been abandoned, but I think it's very likely someone was caring for him, and for whatever reason, they're not able to do so. I'm wondering if--whoever his caretaker is--is incapacitated or deceased, and he stayed in the house for a while by himself before finally wandering outside.

I suspect his name is what he said it was. But what if that's the name of his caretaker instead?

MOO

The thing that makes me think it's his name, not a caretaker's, is he didn't SAY it. He WROTE it. A difficult and laborious skill for a child with a profound disability. Also one of the first things children are taught to write. They asked him his name, and he wrote it for them, several times. Whether it's his legal name, I don't know, but I think it's definitely the name he was called and known by others in his environment or at least his schooling, and self-identified with by this young man for himself - 'My name is Cordarius, and Cordarius means me.' (Apologies to Tolkien, but I think it's appropriate.)

 

[Laughing]

Still wondering if his caregiver had a medical emergency -- and has yet to be found.

Non-verbal, hope they tried P.E.C.S. and available keyboard systems!

 

[iamshadow21]

Still wondering if his caregiver had a medical emergency -- and has yet to be found.

Non-verbal, hope they tried P.E.C.S. and available keyboard systems!

It doesn't mean he can type, but he wrote his name. That shows he has some level of literacy.

 

[Zella]

The thing that makes me think it's his name, not a caretaker's, is he didn't SAY it. He WROTE it. A difficult and laborious skill for a child with a profound disability. Also one of the first things children are taught to write. They asked him his name, and he wrote it for them, several times. Whether it's his legal name, I don't know, but I think it's definitely the name he was called and known by others in his environment or at least his schooling, and self-identified with by this young man for himself - 'My name is Cordarius, and Cordarius means me.' (Apologies to Tolkien, but I think it's appropriate.)

I agree it's most likely his own name. I just hadn't seen anyone mention the possibility I did, so I figured I'd throw it out there.

 

[iamshadow21]

I agree it's most likely his own name. I just hadn't seen anyone mention the possibility I did, so I figured I'd throw it out there.

Maybe if it was something simple like Max or Sam I'd think it was asking for a caregiver or writing a name he was familiar with. But Cordarius. I'd never heard it as a name before today, and if someone had asked me to spell it, sight unseen, I might have easily mucked it up. That determined young man learnt to write that, and write it intelligibly. I'd be proud of that achievement, too.

 

[Laughing]

A non-verbal teen who has mastered forming that many letters likely used some type of communication system is they attended public school in the US.

P.E.C.S is the Picture Exchange Communicate System. Great communication tool, originally cards in a try but now tablet-based.

This guy learned to form letters. That's tricky!

HE learned other things, here's hoping the professionals around him figure this out quickly.

 

[iamshadow21]

A non-verbal teen who has mastered forming that many letters likely used some type of communication system is they attended public school in the US.

P.E.C.S is the Picture Exchange Communicate System. Great communication tool, originally cards in a try but now tablet-based.

This guy learned to form letters. That's tricky!

HE learned other things, here's hoping the professionals around him figure this out quickly.

PECS can be unwieldy, but making it digital has made a big difference to its functionality as a communication tool.

There are also great apps like Proloquo2go and Proloquo, which work on regular touchscreen devices and have realistic child voices. Gone are the days when you'd have to pay thousands for a speaking computerised voice. Some older nonspeaking people still use those because they feel it's 'their voice' - Stephen Hawking was the most public nonspeaking disabled person in the world to do this. His 'voice' was technically obsolete many many years before he died; the techies kept it running just for him. But most younger people these days use devices like iPads. Easy to use, easy to replace and service. Well, they're still Apple, which can be a nuisance, but nothing like as difficult and expensive as the older style tech that used to be the only option. And even those were revolutionary in their time. We live in a wonderful era for voiceless communication.

 

[iulia]

MPD to give update on unidentified boy Thursday afternoon

MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- The Midland Police Department is expected to give the community an update on a case involving an unidentified special needs boy found last weekend. Detectives plan to sp…

www.yourbasin.com

The Midland Police Department is expected to give the community an update on a case involving an unidentified special needs boy found last weekend. Detectives plan to speak at a news conference at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, weather permitting.

 

[cheemsg]

I really hope he is Adji Desir, although it doesn't seem too likely. That would be such an amazing outcome to a pretty old case.

 

[Palisades]

With the age range, I wonder if he could be just turned 18 and turned out onto the street by his caregiver.

If he caregiver had a medical emergency and he left the home, why wouldn't teachers or neighbors recognize him by now.

Hope the news conference shows a fruitful resolution.