A 15-year-old St. Paul boy who is autistic and non-verbal was found safe Sunday afternoon, bringing a swift end to a search that began when his family reported him missing the day before. Daymareion Comer, who responds to the name “Day Day,” had last been seen in the area of Maryland Avenue East and Hazelwood Street before officers tracked him down and confirmed his safety.
According to a Facebook post from the Saint Paul Police Department, Comer was reported missing by his family around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, and officers located him safe by 1:20 p.m. the following day. Police had asked the public to call 651-291-1111 or 911 with any information on his whereabouts while the search was active. Officers searched the area near Maryland Avenue East and Hazelwood Street as the case unfolded.
Local coverage of the active search added further detail about how officers hoped to track Comer down. KARE 11 reported that he was described as 5-foot-6 and 130 to 140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, last seen wearing silver, white, and black Nike shoes. The station also noted that Comer might use buses or light rail to get around, a detail that shaped where searchers focused their attention.
Why Police Moved Fast
Saint Paul officers didn't wait to begin looking for Comer, and that's by design. Under Minnesota's Brandon's Law, enacted in 2009, law enforcement agencies statewide are legally required to accept missing person reports without delay and begin preliminary investigations immediately for vulnerable individuals of any age, according to the Minnesota House of Representatives. The law followed Brandon Swanson's disappearance; he had been missing for almost a year when the bill was discussed. It was designed to eliminate waiting periods that can prove costly in cases involving children or adults with cognitive conditions.
In Ramsey County, emergency responders also coordinate with Project Lifesaver, which uses radio-frequency transmitter wristbands to help search teams locate missing individuals, as KARE 11 reported in 2016. Minnesota also has a missing-person alert program managed by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
A Pattern of Elopement Risk
Comer's case fits a broader pattern that researchers have documented among autistic youth. A 2012 study in Pediatrics found that 49% of autistic children had tried to leave a safe place at least once after age 4. A July 2026 study published in the journal Autism found that roughly 14% of autistic youth who wander continue to elope into adolescence between ages 12 and 16, according to SpecialNeeds.com — a pattern that helps explain why a 15-year-old like Comer remained at risk.
The stakes in these searches are serious. Research cited by SpecialNeeds.com shows that 65% of autistic children who go missing face immediate risks of traffic injuries, while a National Autism Association review of wandering cases from 2011 through 2016 found that drowning accounted for 71% of deaths. Those hazards underscore the importance of checking nearby water when an autistic or non-verbal person goes missing.
Saint Paul's Recent Track Record
Saint Paul police have previously raced to recover missing autistic youths. Drone finds missing child in pond describes how, in September 2026, officers deployed a docked drone that located an autistic child who had wandered into a pond on the city's Greater East Side, arriving two minutes ahead of ground officers and assisting in a successful water rescue. In June 2024, Saint Paul police and local residents conducted a coordinated search that safely recovered 14-year-old Haroon, an autistic teenager who had gone missing from Children's Hospital in St. Paul.
Those earlier cases, paired with Comer's safe recovery, point to a community and police department that has repeatedly mobilized quickly when a vulnerable resident goes missing. For now, the message from Saint Paul police is simple: Daymareion Comer is home safe, and the search that began Saturday afternoon is over.
