‘Missing’ teen found safe, runaway feigned ‘medical distress’
Published 4:35 pm Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Medical staff determined a 13-year-old child to be unharmed after the teen was thought to have been missing and in medical distress Sunday near Glenmore.
According to Buckingham Sheriff William G. “Billy” Kidd Jr., the child — who was flown by helicopter to the UVA Medical Center after not responding to emergency medical personnel — had run away from home, “refusing to tell parents and family members of (their) location.”
Kidd said his press release was in response to “numerous inquiries and social media posts referencing an incident involving a missing child in Buckingham County, which was reported on Saturday, Sept. 24.”
The sheriff said after all law enforcement leads on the child’s whereabouts were exhausted, “on Sunday, Sept. 25, family members reached out on social media with ‘missing child postings.’”
Kidd said the child was dropped off by an adult acting as a “Good Samaritan” at a vacant residence near Glenmore.
“The child advised the location was (their) home,” according to the release. “The child, for unknown reasons, then acted as if (they were) in medical distress when discovered by citizens driving by the location.”
Kidd said the child was evaluated and released Sunday evening “after it was determined the child was unharmed and did not suffer any injuries. Subsequent interviews determined the child spent Saturday evening with a relative of an acquaintance after (they) misled the homeowner about (their) age.”