A 10-year-old Seattle boy named Otis, who is on the autism spectrum, has been found after going missing Tuesday near the 3200 block of 23rd Avenue South. Police had asked anyone who spotted him to call 911 immediately, describing him as thin, with brown hair, wearing black glasses, a black hat, and multicolored overalls, and carrying a yellow backpack.
confirmed Otis had been located in an update posted Tuesday, thanking the public for their help and for sharing the original missing child alert. The case had been logged under report number 26-298237, and police asked the public to help locate him.
Why Seconds Matter in Autism Wandering Cases
Guidance on missing juvenile reports says there is no mandatory waiting period and officers should begin working them immediately. That immediate-response standard reflects just how urgent these searches can become.
Federal health officials note that autism-related wandering, also called elopement, results in an average of seven to eight child deaths nationwide each month, with accidental drowning accounting for the vast majority of those fatal outcomes, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Search protocols for missing autistic children often prioritize checking nearby bodies of water first because of that risk.
Washington State has built legal infrastructure specifically for these situations. Under state law, the Washington State Patrol operates an Endangered Missing Person Advisory plan for individuals missing under unexplained or vulnerable circumstances. The agency issued 39 such advisories statewide across its various vulnerable population categories in 2025.
Federal Push to Speed Up Alerts
In August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, and FEMA launched the National Autism Missing and Endangered Person Alert Initiative.
Otis's disappearance and recovery are the latest in a string of Seattle-area cases this year involving vulnerable missing residents. Hoodline previously reported on a missing Queen Anne teen. Otis was last seen on the 3200 block of 23rd Avenue South.
Seattle Police have not released further details about where or how Otis was found. For now, the department's update to the public was brief and grateful: thanks to everyone who shared the alert and helped bring the search to an end.
