A 15-year-old boy who left his Cordova-area home three days ago is still missing, and Shelby County deputies say he could be in danger because he needs medication for a medical condition. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office issued a BOLO alert Saturday for Sebastian Lindsey, who was last seen leaving his home on August 19.
According to the Action News 5 report, which cited the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, deputies released a photo of Lindsey and are asking anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward. Police say the teen has a medical condition that requires medication, raising concern for his safety the longer he remains unaccounted for.
The sheriff's office is asking the public to call (901) 379-7625 with any tips on Lindsey's location. Author Shayna Norwood's report did not specify additional details about the circumstances of his disappearance beyond the date he left his Cordova-area home.
Why a Medical Condition Changes the Urgency
Missing juvenile cases involving a health condition are treated differently than typical runaway reports under Tennessee protocol. Under Tennessee Bureau of Investigation guidance updated in 2021, local law enforcement can request an Endangered Child Alert when a missing child or runaway has a medical condition or special needs that put them at risk outside their normal zone of safety, according to PowerDMS documentation of the policy. That framework was expanded in 2021 through the Holly Bobo Act, which allows Endangered Child Alert protocols to cover missing individuals up to age 20, per the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
State law also removes any delay in reporting. Tennessee Code § 38-6-125 requires law enforcement agencies to immediately input missing person reports into state missing databases and NamUs, explicitly prohibiting any mandatory waiting period before filing a report, according to Findlaw's summary of the statute. That legal mandate addresses a common public misconception that families must wait 24 hours before police will act on a missing child report.
How Common Are These Alerts
Tennessee law enforcement agencies field a significant volume of these reports. Agencies statewide receive between 500 and 600 missing child reports every month, according to 2025 data cited by the Bethany Markowski Foundation, a figure that includes runaways, parental abductions, and medically vulnerable youth. Of those, the state escalates only a fraction to formal alerts — the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation recorded 50 Endangered Child Alerts and seven AMBER Alerts issued for missing juveniles statewide in 2024.
National statistics offer some reassurance for families in similar situations. Ninety-one percent of missing children reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2024 were recovered safely, according to data from the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Even so, federal investigators stress that time matters. FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team guidance published in September 2025 notes that in cases where missing children are abducted and killed, 74 percent are killed within three hours of disappearing, underscoring why authorities urge the public to act quickly on tips rather than wait.
Other Recent Cordova-Area Cases
Cordova has seen at least one other high-profile missing person alert in recent months. In December 2025, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office issued a BOLO for another missing resident from the area, 26-year-old court clerk Donnell Roberts, who vanished after last being seen near Macon and Whitten roads, according to a post shared on Facebook. It remains unclear whether that case has been resolved.
Anyone with information about Sebastian Lindsey's whereabouts is urged to contact the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. Tipsters can also reach the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's 24-hour hotline at 1-800-TBI-FIND, which collects information on active missing child and endangered alerts across all 95 Tennessee counties, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's 24-hour hotline at 1-800-843-5678 and its online CyberTipline, which coordinates directly with local law enforcement on missing minor cases nationwide.
