Westland boy found on road after 42-minute search at Johnson Upper Elementary
Surveillance footage shows a 10-year-old nonverbal student missing since 12:38 p.m., with police called at 1:09 p.m. and the mother notified at 1:20 p.m.
By Ricardo Brooks ·
A 10-year-old boy with autism was found safe on Newburgh Road after wandering off from Johnson Upper Elementary in Westland, Michigan.
The incident occurred during outdoor recess on Monday. The student, who is nonverbal, was last seen on school surveillance cameras at 12:38 p.m. Staff initiated a search for him at 12:52 p.m. Police were contacted at 1:09 p.m. The boy's mother, Kassandra Richards, received a phone call at 1:20 p.m. telling her he was missing.
Richards said the school initially told her the boy had been gone for only 10 minutes. During a meeting with administrators later in the week, she learned the staff could not confirm exactly how long he had been off the grounds. The school is part of the Livonia Public Schools district.
"They said they think he went through the woods, so I didn't really know what to expect," Richards said. "I didn't know if he'd be, you know, gone forever. I don't know. I didn't know what to think."
The boy was located minutes away from the school on Newburgh Road. Richards said he was unharmed. She shared audio from a Wednesday meeting with school staff. In that recording, an administrator outlined the timeline based on security footage. The video showed the boy moving from lunch to recess at 12:24 p.m.
Richards stated that the conflicting information and the duration of the search shook her confidence in the school. "I'm extremely angry and upset about it, and yeah, there's just a loss of trust," she said. She cited the presence of pools and roads near the school as factors that increased the risk during the 42 minutes between his last sighting and his discovery.
In the recorded meeting, a staff member indicated the school would adjust its coverage. They plan to position more staff near the playground and the parking lot. A spokesperson for Livonia Public Schools confirmed the incident and stated the district is actively addressing the situation.
The district said it is working directly with the parents and will not provide further public comment on the specific student matters. The statement noted that the district is focused on investigating and responding to the concerns raised. It also said the district reviews policies and procedures as appropriate to meet the needs of the school community.
The district declined to answer specific questions about whether safety procedures would be updated beyond the coverage adjustments mentioned in the parent meeting.
