St. Louis police are asking the public for help finding an 18-year-old who has been missing since Thursday, last seen in the city's Fox Park neighborhood. Dewayne Williams has neurodevelopmental issues and may not respond to his name if approached, according to police, who say he left the area of the 2600 block of California Avenue.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is seeking the public's help locating Williams, as reported by First Alert 4. Police say Williams was last seen wearing black jogger cargo pants, a Ralph Lauren hooded sweatshirt in black, orange, green and camo, and black high-top Nike Jordans with gold writing. The 2600 block of California Avenue sits within the historic Fox Park neighborhood on the city's south side, a residential area home to landmarks such as the DeSales Community Garden.
Why Police Say He May Not Respond
SLMPD has specifically cautioned that Williams may not respond to his name, a warning tied to his neurodevelopmental condition. Behavioral experts and advocacy organizations note that neurodivergent individuals often experience what's known as elopement, a form of spontaneous wandering triggered by stress or sensory overload, and may not acknowledge authority figures or their own names when approached, according to KSHB 41. That behavioral pattern helps explain why officers are urging anyone who spots Williams not to assume he will react if called by name.
Anyone with knowledge of Williams's whereabouts is asked to call the Missing Person Unit at 314-444-5301. Police have also asked that anyone who actually sees Williams call 911 immediately rather than approach him directly.
A Statewide Push for Faster Alerts
Williams's disappearance comes as Missouri lawmakers have been moving to overhaul how the state handles searches for missing people with developmental disabilities. On July 23, Governor Mike Kehoe signed Senate Bill 1409, known as RJ's Law, creating a statewide Purple Alert System within the Department of Public Safety specifically to help law enforcement locate missing individuals with developmental disabilities, according to coverage cited by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Before that law, the state relied primarily on Silver Advisories for elderly residents with cognitive impairment and Amber Alerts limited to child abduction cases, leaving a gap for cases like this one.
Missouri congressional representatives also introduced federal legislation in June, the Enhanced Alerts for Missing Loved Ones with Disabilities Act of 2026, aimed at expanding first-responder training and broadening missing-person alert protocols nationwide for people with developmental or cognitive conditions, per the Office of Representative Mark Alford. Missouri also maintains a separate Endangered Person Advisory protocol that local police can activate when a missing person is believed to be in danger due to age, health, or a mental or physical disability but doesn't meet Amber Alert criteria.
Under Missouri law, officers who take a missing person report must immediately enter the individual's information into the Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System and the National Crime Information Center, with no mandatory waiting period before that happens. The scale of the challenge facing investigators is significant: the Missouri State Highway Patrol recorded 3,086 missing adult reports and 6,059 missing juvenile reports statewide in 2025, and more than 130 active missing person cases currently trace back to SLMPD alone.
Other Recent Searches in the Region
Williams's case is one of several missing-person appeals SLMPD has issued in recent months. Hoodline previously covered a Northampton search for a 73-year-old with dementia, and earlier appeals have sought help finding missing residents including Daja Lucas, John Maul and Miranda Brown, each involving cognitive or mental health considerations. Residents who prefer not to contact police directly can also reach out anonymously through St. Louis Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-866-371-8477, which offers cash rewards of up to $2,000 for tips that lead to breakthroughs in missing person cases.
