Identified! GA - LIVING BlkMale, 14, Special Needs & Non-verbal, left at Grady Hospital, Dec 2019 *name withheld

[Gardener1850]

ATLANTA — A young man was left at Grady Hospital days ago and officials have no idea who he is.

He arrived at the hospital with a woman, but she left without him. Now, police are asking for help identifying him and the woman seen on surveillance video walking him in.

He arrived at the hospital on the evening on Dec. 4, 2019. Atlanta Police said surveillance video shows him and a black woman wearing a white coat and a red hat arrive at the hospital.

[...]

Police described him as malnourished and said he didn’t have identification and has not been able to communicate verbally or in writing. They did not share an approximate age and only described him as “a young man.”

“It appears as though he has a diminished mental capacity and may have Down syndrome,” the release said.

The woman was last seen getting into a red minivan and leaving. Investigators are still looking into the vehicle aspect of it, police said.

"Based on his diminished mental capacity, he is not able to speak to us, he's not able to write, so we've had a very hard time trying to understand who he might be and where he lives," Lt. Jeff Baxter, commander of Atlanta Police Department's special victims unit said during a press conference.

For now, he is being cared for at Grady and is in the custody of Georgia’s Division of Family Child Services.

Non-verbal 'young man' found malnourished, alone at Grady Hospital

He has no identification, he is not communicating, and police are asking for help identifying both him and the woman.

The temperatures in the concrete canyons of downtown Atlanta - at Grady Hospital - that night of Dec. 4 were around 35 and 40 degrees.

It was just before midnight when a nurse on break spotted the young man outside the hospital, abandoned, alone, cold, hungry, disoriented, and unable to speak -- and possibly with Down syndrome.

She brought him inside, to the warmth of a whole world of people wanting to embrace him.

“My phone blew up. Facebook blew up. Everybody wants to know how they can help,” said Sheryl Arno, executive director of the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta.

Arno said everyone in her world wants to embrace both the young man and the woman who took him to Grady that cold night last week. They said she walked him around, inside, for most of an hour without checking in or seeing anyone, then left him there and walked away from him.

Police said security camera video shows her getting into a red minivan, possibly from Georgia, with someone else driving, and she rode away without the young man, into the dark. Police are not sure if she left the young man inside and he then walked outside on his own, or if she left him outside.

Support pours in for abandoned young man with special needs - and the woman who left him

 

[Catmommy]

He's being taken care of. I'm glad for that.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I realize there are legal (and other) complexities, but at the same time do we want people to feel like they can safely (ETA without repurcussion) bring vulnerable people to a hospital... or do we not?

 

[sans_soleil]

Yeah, I'm just glad he is being taken care of now, and I hope he will continue receiving care, love and support. People with disabilities are at such risk of abuse, and with him being non-verbal of course that risk increases.

 

[Vail]

I realize there are legal (and other) complexities, but at the same time do we want people to feel like they can safely (ETA without repurcussion) bring vulnerable people to a hospital... or do we not?

I agree - even if she is related to him, it is clear she needed to leave him there and did so out of care for him - perhaps they are worried about her safety also though. I hope he continues to receive help and goes to a home that cares for him properly.

 

[Gardener1850]

So far the police are saying they want to help her get resources she and the boy need if she comes forward and identifies him (BBM):

Arno said it’s clear that the hearts of those who are commenting on social media and those who are emailing her and calling her - the hearts of parents of special needs children, especially - are breaking for him and for the woman.

“No one judged the woman. There was no judgment; everybody understands where that can happen, and how that can happen,” she said, “I would imagine she was at her breaking point.”

“You come to a breaking point and there feels like there’s no hope, and there’s no next steps,” said Stacey Ramirez, state director of The ARC Georgia.

Ramirez and Arno have worked as allies for years, with countless other activists, trying to help families of those with intellectual developmental disabilities -- and help them find the services they need.

So many resources are available, many for free, but Ramirez and Arno pointed out another reality -- in Georgia, thousands of people who are in need are on waiting lists for help.

“And we are certain that that’s not even a fraction of the real need - that people don’t even apply for the services and supports because of the waiting list - so the need is great,” Ramirez said.

Atlanta police are saying if someone can help identify the woman and the young man, they will do all they can to get them both into the embrace of so many wanting to support them, now.

“I can’t imagine how hard it is,” said Lt. Jeff Baxter, the commander of Atlanta Police Department’s Special Victims Unit, “to take care of someone with special needs. I can’t even fathom. And so, we’re not here to judge, we’re not here to judge anybody. We just want to know why he was left there, and who he is, so that we can get him help.”

Anyone with information about the woman or the young man is asked to call APD’s Special Victims Unit at 404-546-4260 or call Crime Stoppers. Information on the case can be submitted anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.StopCrimeATL.com.

Support pours in for abandoned young man with special needs - and the woman who left him

 

[MrsWatson]

And they found out who he was, and all that talk about getting support? Just talk.

Mom Charged After Atlanta Police Say She Abandoned Special Needs Son At Grady Hospital | 90.1 FM WABE

 

[Gardener1850]

And they found out who he was, and all that talk about getting support? Just talk.

Mom Charged After Atlanta Police Say She Abandoned Special Needs Son At Grady Hospital | 90.1 FM WABE

Realistically they probably had to charge her with something-- he was found outside in the cold and hungry. He could have run into traffic or been taken by someone with bad intentions. It's not as if she left him in the care of another adult. She could have checked him into the hospital ER and then left him-- there probably wouldn't be any charges for that. I feel for her, I really do, but would she have done the same with her 3 other younger children? Police can't just let it go... The charges will probably be reduced by the time this comes to court IMHO. At most she might lose custody of him-- which would help her and probably be good for him in the long run. Hopefully he is being placed in a home where he will have access to services he needs. MOO.

 

[MrsWatson]

All true, @Gardener1850 , but their appeal was sure shady!

I hope the family gets the support they need, and the charges are dropped. So many parents have done such horrible things to their children, this to me just seems more like a desperate cry for help, not any intent to harm. Who knows how frazzled she was, it did say she was at a motel, which I took to mean possibly living there.

 

[Bit of hope]

And they found out who he was, and all that talk about getting support? Just talk.

Mom Charged After Atlanta Police Say She Abandoned Special Needs Son At Grady Hospital | 90.1 FM WABE

How sad...really want to believe they give him and her the support they need....

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Saw this as a headline on my "latest news" page now. I hate that she's being charged and hope her other kids are with family. I understand they can't encourage people to do what she did, but what would have happened if she reached out for help? Maybe a nurse or social worker giving her a list to the places with those miles- long waiting lists and then sending her on her way to just continue being crushed by everything. I feel like this is so tragic, how she must have felt for so long, how she did her best at that moment, what's happening now. IMO.

 

[coffeeandacig]

Just a sad case all around.
No one knows how hard it is to be a full time caregiver, unless they've been there.
I hope mom and son receive the best care. Holding out hope that the charges will be dropped.

 

[TTF14]

Ugh. I have nothing but compassion for this woman.

 

[GoneGoldfishin']

This story broke me. I am sobbing. Nine years ago last week, I dropped my 14 year old developmentally delayed son, and his 16 year old sister off at my parents house, then drove to a Starbucks, bought a frappuccino, then swallowed a few handfuls of different meds. I was at the end of my rope. I was struggling financially, emotionally, and was physically exhausted. I was lonely. Every relationship I had since my divorce 10 years prior ended due to those men not being able to "handle" a child with severe disabilities. I was facing eviction. I honestly thought my children would be better off without me. I WORKED AT A CENTER FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES AND STILL WAS NOT ABLE TO GET THE HELP AND SUPPORT I NEEDED. I don't know the particular circumstances that led this mother to leave her son alone, at the hospital; she could very well have had a pattern of cps involvement, prior abuse, etc. She may be without excuse. But I will tell you, people have an emotional breaking point, when the pain of the struggle outweighs the hope. Whether that looks like giving up on your child, or giving up on yourself, it is absolutely the rock bottom of the depths of despair. Everyone posting here has so far been kind and giving this mom the benefit of the doubt, but she will suffer for the rest of her life for this decision. It will haunt her forever, and I feel so crushed for her, and for him, and for the rest of her children. Moo.

 

[azure]

Thank you for sharing your story @GoneGoldfishin'. I have such empathy and compassion for you and for the woman at the center of this story. I'm so glad you're still here with us, and I hope you're getting the support you need now. I honestly cannot imagine how difficult it would be to raise a special needs child on top of life's other stressors. Kudos to you for doing it!

 

[azure]

Saw this as a headline on my "latest news" page now. I hate that she's being charged and hope her other kids are with family. I understand they can't encourage people to do what she did, but what would have happened if she reached out for help? Maybe a nurse or social worker giving her a list to the places with those miles- long waiting lists and then sending her on her way to just continue being crushed by everything. I feel like this is so tragic, how she must have felt for so long, how she did her best at that moment, what's happening now. IMO.

This is not meant to disagree with you at all, but I can't help but think if this behavior was encouraged, a lot of special needs children would be in healthier situations. There are several recent threads of UID kids, some with chronic illnesses. If parents who couldn't care for them could drop them off at an ER without consequence, those kids might be alive. JMO.

 

[annemc2]

Thank you for sharing your story @GoneGoldfishin'. I have such empathy and compassion for you and for the woman at the center of this story. I'm so glad you're still here with us, and I hope you're getting the support you need now. I honestly cannot imagine how difficult it would be to raise a special needs child on top of life's other stressors. Kudos to you for doing it!

I totally agree! I have one child with ADHD and another who was incapacitated by PANDAS for about six months. Only six months and I didn't think I was going to ever see the end of the darkness that I was trapped in. This experience gave me just a taste of how difficult caring for special needs children can be. I also had good emotional and financial (and pharmaceutical!) support, unlike many who struggle with basic needs. I am in awe of the parents who are facing these issues and are able to hold it together. I can totally understand that there can come a time where the parent just cracks and can't do it anymore. @GoneGoldfishin' I'm so proud of you for coming out of the other side of the abyss and for sharing your experience here so that others may learn. I also hope things are going well for you and yours now.

 

[Melt71]

@GoneGoldfishin' you are an awesome parent who was pushed to breaking point through no fault of your own. Thank you for sharing xx

 

[GoneGoldfishin']

Down Syndrome parent community stands behind woman who left child at Grady

 

[Bit of hope]

This story broke me. I am sobbing. Nine years ago last week, I dropped my 14 year old developmentally delayed son, and his 16 year old sister off at my parents house, then drove to a Starbucks, bought a frappuccino, then swallowed a few handfuls of different meds. I was at the end of my rope. I was struggling financially, emotionally, and was physically exhausted. I was lonely. Every relationship I had since my divorce 10 years prior ended due to those men not being able to "handle" a child with severe disabilities. I was facing eviction. I honestly thought my children would be better off without me. I WORKED AT A CENTER FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES AND STILL WAS NOT ABLE TO GET THE HELP AND SUPPORT I NEEDED. I don't know the particular circumstances that led this mother to leave her son alone, at the hospital; she could very well have had a pattern of cps involvement, prior abuse, etc. She may be without excuse. But I will tell you, people have an emotional breaking point, when the pain of the struggle outweighs the hope. Whether that looks like giving up on your child, or giving up on yourself, it is absolutely the rock bottom of the depths of despair. Everyone posting here has so far been kind and giving this mom the benefit of the doubt, but she will suffer for the rest of her life for this decision. It will haunt her forever, and I feel so crushed for her, and for him, and for the rest of her children. Moo.

From the bottom of my heart....I'm really impressed by your story/post. I feel you...it's always the guilt and what other people think...but if you put enough weight on an elephant then it will eventually go down on its knees