Avonte Oquendo, 14, a teen with autism from Queens, New York is still missing after eight days of the NYPD searching from him. However, the search team remains "optimistic" that they will find him.
"We're still pretty optimistic and hopeful that we will find Avonte and deliver him back home to his family," Phillip Banks, the NYPD's chief of detectives, said at a press conference Saturday.
CNN reported that the Avonte was last seen October 4 running around the Center Boulevard School in Long Island City captured by the CCTV. The boy who can't even speak haven't returned to their house since then.
The local government and the police has been doing different means to find him. An underground network search has been conducted thus causing a suspension on the overnight track maintenance of the transit system. They also offered a $70,000 reward to those who can return him safely to his parents or to the authorities.
Banks has already received over 80 tips that may lead him to the boy’s location. However, none of those led them to the missing teen.
Banks and his team of detectives from NYPD had done an extensive search using various aviation units equipped with the best technology they ever had. He has further added that the NYPDs SCUBA units and harbor were also conducting a search for Avonte.
According to police commissioner Ray Kelly, there are at least 50 police officers working each day to search for Avonte. The search has been extended to New Jersey and Long Island, NBC New York reports.
Much of the search is concentrated in the subway and transit areas as the boy is said to have a fascination with trains. As a result, each and every subway line had been searched while announcements can be heard as well to notify passengers inside the station to be on the lookout for the autistic teen.
Meanwhile, the police is also investigating the New York City Department of Education for possible negligence as the boy was able to ran out of their premise since no one was looking after him. The Oquendo family had also filed a "notice of claim" Wednesday as a preliminary step for a formal lawsuit against the city of New York regarding the incident.
