Huntington Beach police have issued an update.
The department posted an update on its Facebook page.
What alert rules mean
Police described Alcantara as verbal and said he may respond to someone who approaches him calmly. The California Department of Justice says there is no waiting period for reporting a missing person and that police and sheriffs’ departments must accept missing-person reports without delay.
California’s AMBER Alert criteria are a separate matter: the California Highway Patrol says law enforcement must confirm an abduction and have reason to believe the child faces imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death to activate the plan.
The search in context
Research offers broad context. A study of 258 teens with autism, hosted by PubMed Central, found that caregivers reported 14% had wandered at least once during adolescence.
Police described Alcantara as Hispanic/White, 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 116 pounds, with long, curly brown hair and brown eyes. The department asked the public to share its original alert.
