Autistic boy - Terry D. Smith, 11 yrs old missing from Menifee, Ca. 7/7/13

[Red]

BREAKING ... Menifee Mayor Scott Mann says investigators are treating the home of Terry Dewayne Smith Jr. as a crime scene.

Authorities searching for a missing 11-year-old autistic boy cordoned off his Southern California home, but volunteers on Wednesday planned to search miles of surrounding desert in hopes of finding him alive.

TV news reports early Wednesday showed yellow crime scene tape around the semirural home of Terry Dewayne Smith Jr. in Menifee.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has not said whether foul play was suspected in his weekend disappearance. Calls to department representatives seeking comment were not immediately returned.

[BabsKats]

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/inland_empire&id=9168042

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

MENIFEE, Calif. (KABC) -- Remains have been found at the Menifee home of an 11-year-old boy with autism who went missing Saturday, officials said. Investigators are working to determine if the remains are human.


Terry Dewayne Smith Jr. disappeared from his family's home in the 3300 block of Helen Lane Saturday between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.

The 11-year-old boy was initally said to have been last seen in his brother's room Saturday night. On Wednesday, however, officials said his 16-year-old brother saw him following him to a nearby market. Once his brother realized Terry was following him, he told him to go home. Terry then disappeared.

 
Officials said Smith's family was cooperating with the investigation and that no one had been placed under arrest.

No other details were released but the professional search effort by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department was suspended Wednesday. This new twists comes after law enforcement expanded their search area to 81 square miles Tuesday.

Meanwhile, volunteers said they would continue their search Wednesday. On Tuesday, volunteers had to suspend their efforts overnight due to dangerous conditions. Organizers say more than 700 volunteers walked through thick brush and 100 degree heat searching for 11-year-old Terry Smith.

Volunteers say they will not let law enforcement's presence at the boy's home deter them from the hope that they will find Terry.

 

[MuffyBee]

   It's sounding worse and worse for Terry.    A facebook page was started for Terry:

Find Terry Smith
https://www.facebook.com/FindTerrySmith

[Samantha]

Terry Smith: Investigators look for human remains in Menifee
Autistic boy, 11, last seen Saturday
 Jul. 10, 2013 10:14 AM

 

Investigators initially said that Terry “was discovered missing from his residence” sometime between 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday. They were “able to verify” Monday that Terry was last seen between 7:30 and 9 p.m. Saturday outside his home in the 33-000 block of Helen Lane in Menifee, Sgt, Lisa McConnell said.

The boy’s 16-year-old half-brother was the last person to see him, Martinez said.

“The brother was walking away from their residence, turns back, sees that Terry’s following him and tells Terry, ‘Hey, go home,’” Martinez said.

 


http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130710/NEWS08/307100001/Investigators-look-human-remains-near-home

[Green Eyes]

  It's sounding worse and worse for Terry.    A facebook page was started for Terry:

Find Terry Smith
https://www.facebook.com/FindTerrySmith

Yes it is Muffy

[Red]

Home of Missing 11 Year Old Autistic Boy Terry Dewayne Smith Jr. Being Treated As a Crime Scene … Authorities Searching for Possible Human Remains (Update: Remains Found, Serving Search Warrants)

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2013/07/10/home-of-missing-11-year-old-autistc-boy-terry-dewayne-smith-jr-being-treated-as-a-crime-scene-authorities-searching-for-possible-human-remains-update-remains-found-searving-search-warrants/

UPDATE I: Remains found; investigators serving search warrants.

Remains? Hmm, the boy has supposedly only been missing since Saturday. One would think that there would be an identifiable body, not just remains at this point. That is if he actually went missing on Saturday and sadly, not if animals possible were involved.

Investigators serving a search warrant at the Menifee home of an 11-year-old autistic boy missing since Saturday have found remains and are trying to determine if they are human, sheriff’s official said.

The search for Terry Smith, missing since Saturday, has been suspended and investigators have been combing the yard of the boy’s Menifee home since early this morning.

Sheriff’s officials went to the property about 1:30 a.m. based on information there may be human remains there, said Deputy Albert Martinez, a spokesman for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. But Martinez did not disclose who led investigators there.

 

This case is not looking good for a happy outcome. I would ask the question how we are at remains in such a short period of time, unless wild animals were involved. If the remains do prove to be human, just how long had they been expired?

[Samantha]

It sounds like they found remains while serving a search warrant..

Is it common to need a search warrant to search the yard of a missing child... Meaning wouldn't the family open up and offer for the police to search the land? Is the search warrant a result of law enforcement not being allowed to look as they normally would?

I know if my niece was missing my sister/bro-in-law would open up their home and yard to be searched (As would my parents if she went missing from their house) I just feel like the need for a search warrant is implying that the family wasn't cooperating with police and letting them look..

Or maybe law enforcement were told about the remains and knew going onto the land what they were looking for so prepared a search warrant to gain access.

[Samantha]

Body Found Near Menifee Home Of Missing 11-Year-Old Boy With Autism
July 10, 2013 12:44 PM

 

The official search for Terry Smith, who was last seen Saturday night, was suspended around 1:30 a.m. when a volunteer search group came across possible human remains.

“We were hoping it wasn’t him, that it was a mistake,” a volunteer in the group said.

Images from Sky2 showed investigators removing a body from a shallow grave approximately 75 feet from the family’s home in the 33000 block of Helen Lane just before noon.

The unidentified person appeared to be a male wearing blue shorts, which Smith was last seen wearing.

 



http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/07/10/search-for-missing-menifee-boy-with-autism-enters-4th-day/

[MuffyBee]

     Shallow grave.

[Red]

Remains Found Behind Home of Missing Menifee Boy

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Menifee-Missing-Boy-Search-Riverside-County-214900371.html

Aerial video showed investigators with a rake, shovel and other hand tools behind a property blocked off by the crime scene tape. The dig area was along a fenceline next to a large tree behind the Smith residence.

Authorities placed what appeared to be a body on a gurney.

No arrests have been reported. The boy's mother, her partner and a 16-year-old step-brother were being questioned at the sheriff's station, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

[klaasend]

This is so sad 

[Red]

There are crimes and then there are crimes ...

Every time I read or hear of a case that involves an autistic child I cannot help but think of two things. One, what were these people thinking of not providing special attention to a child that is so dependent upon adults due to their condition and two, Marcus Fiesel. Who is that you ask?

Marcus Fiesel was a foster child and a 3 year old autistic boy who went missing in 2006 that broke my heart and was one of the cases that SM got involved with in the early days of the web site. We were contacted by The Middletown Journal to discuss how a missing boy from Ohio became such a big story and covered by individuals who were not local to the story. Remember, this was the early days of following crime on the web, long before Twitter and most all social networking except maybe MySpace. I knew from the outset by just the way the family was acting that some thing just seemed wrong. Especially how the mother contacted me, the manner in which she did and her comments. That was pretty ignorant seeing that a simple forward to law enforcement was just a click away.

I have never forgot the case of little Marcus Fiesel and never will. These SOB's not only killed their child, they attempted to burn the evidence of him as well. These are things one pretty much never forgets and keeps in the back of their mind for future cases to come. Rest in Pease Marcus, I will never forget.

Liz Carroll, Mother of 3 year old Murdered Ohio Foster Child Marcus Fiesel Found Guilty
http://scaredmonkeys.com/2007/02/21/liz-carroll-mother-of-3-year-old-murdered-fotser-child-marcus-fiesel-found-guity/

The Caroll’s told authorities that Marcus Fiesel “wandered off or had been snatched from a park in suburban Cincinnati, sparking a search by thousands of volunteers that lasted several days.” Liz Caroll begged people to help find her son all the while she knew exactly what had occurred. Scared Monkeys followed the events from the outset and had posted some rather critical articles of the foster parents accounts obviously striking a nerve with Liz Carroll. That prompted her to leave a comment on Missing & Exploited web page that was far from PG rated. That very next morning Liz and David Carroll were arrested in the death of Marcus Fiesel.

Scared Monkeys: Missing & Exploited was later contacted by Rick McCrabb of the Ohio newspaper, The Middletown Journal, for comments and our coverage of this case.

Newspapers and television stations in southwest Ohio have followed every step in the case, and now that his foster parents have been charged, the story has grabbed the attention of media outlets throughout the United States.

There are Web sites that feature photo albums, message boards, chat rooms and slide and video shows. One of those is www.scaredmonkeys.com, dedicated to exploited and missing children. “Red,” one of the site’s co-founders, said after news of Marcus’ disappearance was linked to his Web site, he received an e-mail from Marcus’ foster mother. She chastised the site for their portrayal.

“As soon as she did that, well, it was like, she’s guilty,” Red said Friday from his office in Maine. “You knew this was going to end bad. The radar just went up. It raises the hair on the back of your neck. When you kill your son, and go public pleading for help, it brings it to a special level of hell.”

He said Marcus’ story has drawn widespread coverage because people are so “disgusted by it.” (Middletown Journal)

http://missingexploited.com/2006/08/20/3-year-old-marcus-fiesel-missing-since-tuesday-in-cincinnati-oh/

[Green Eyes]

Very sad indeed Klaas.

[Green Eyes]

Red people like those that killed poor little Marcus should be drawn and quartered. Even that's to good for them.   

[MuffyBee]

Has it been said who, beside a family member last saw Terry and when? 

[Red]

Has it been said who, beside a family member last saw Terry and when? 

I have not seen anything in all that I have reviewed. When first heard there were remains found, I commented on the FP that how could there be remains when the teen had just gone missing on Saturday? That would almost be impossible if Terry had gone missing when they claimed he went missing.

[BabsKats]

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/inland_empire&id=9168042







MENIFEE, Calif. (KABC) -- A 16-year-old family member of Terry Smith, a missing autistic boy from Menifee, has been arrested for murder, authorities said Wednesday.


Earlier in the day, human remains were found at Smith's family home in Menifee, an official told Eyewitness News.

The human remains have not yet been identified, though authorities said at an afternoon press conference they located the body of a male juvenile that fits Smith's description.

Smith went missing from his home over the weekend. It was unclear what led authorities to begin their search around the family's home. Most of the investigators' attention has been focused on a pepper tree just behind the house.

 

[BabsKats]

Reading through the FB pages "Find Terry Smith", most of the locals suspected the 16 yr. old from the beginning.   He had made statements that he was "ready to blow up" on the family last week.  Sounds as though it was quite a disfunctional family!

Find Terry Smith
https://www.facebook.com/FindTerrySmith

[cw618]

sad very sad, i wonder if Terry trusted the half brother

Missing Menifee boy: 16-year-old family member arrested for murder, human remains found
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
2 vids @ link

By Rob McMillan, Elex Michaelson and Christina Salvo
 
MENIFEE, Calif. (KABC) -- A 16-year-old family member of Terry Smith, a missing autistic boy from Menifee, has been arrested for murder.

The arrest was announced at a Wednesday afternoon press conference. Authorities would not say if the family member arrested is Smith's 16-year-old half brother.

"One of the things I want to stress is that this was a domestic issue within that residence, and that there is no stranger in the city of Menifee that caused this to happen," Menifee police Chief John Hill said.
 
Around 1 a.m., someone from the Smith home called police to report possible human remains buried in the backyard. When officers arrived, they found a shallow grave less than 100 feet from the home.

The identity of the remains has not been confirmed, though authorities said the remains are of a male juvenile that fits Smith's description.
MORE @
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/inland_empire&id=9168042

[Bearlyhere]

Is it just me or does there seem to be a rash of missing person cases lately with children with autism?

11 Year Old Autistic Boy Terry Dewayne Smith Missing Since 7/6/13 in Menifee, CA

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2013/07/08/11-year-old-terry-dewayne-smith-missing-since-7613-in-menifee-ca/

11 year old Terry Dewayne Smith has been missing since Saturday night, July 6, 2013 in Menifee, California.  According to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Lisa McConnell, the 11 year old boy went missing on Saturday at 7:30 pm at his home in the 33000 block of Helen Lane; however, the police were not called to the home until Sunday morning. Terry Dewayne Smith is reported to have autism. His mother, Shauna Smith, discovered he was missing when she went into the bedroom to give Terry medication.

Other recent missing person cases with autistic children:
9 Year Old, Autistic San Francisco Schoolgirl Mikaela Renee Lynch Missing Since 5/12/13 From her Lake County Vacation Home in Clearlake, CA
http://scaredmonkeys.com/2013/05/13/9-year-old-autistic-san-francisco-schoolgirl-mikaela-renee-lynch-missing-since-51213-from-her-lake-county-vacation-home-in-clearlake-ca/

7 Year Old Autistic Boy Owen Black Missing Since 5/17/13 in Escambia County, FL (Update: Searches Continue for Missing Boy) (Update: Boy Found Dead in Water)
http://scaredmonkeys.com/2013/05/18/7-year-old-autistic-boy-owen-black-missing-since-51713-in-escambia-county-fl/

The reason it seems this way is because there are many more children diagnosed with autism each year, and there will be more and more kids with autism missing as the rate goes higher and higher.  

When my child was first diagnosed with autism  in 1994 there were 2-3 in 15,000 children  diagnosed with autism, according to the books I read at the time, (yes, 15,000 not 1500).  Now there are 1 in 88 children diagnosed with autism.  

There are many more children, yet there are not enough supports and services for families whose children have autism.  My son was 5 years old before he slept more than 15 minutes at a time and that was not unusual according to parents I met along the way.  When your child is not sleeping, neither are you, when your child has not slept a wink for 3 days in a row, which happened all the time until he finally got that 15 minutes, you are totally exhausted, you can hardly see to drive your child to the next doctor's appointment.  

My Mother came to the Pediatrician's office one time in my son's life.  The doctor begged her to take him away from me at times so that I could get some sleep.  I scared him by the condition I was in, totally exhausted (I mean that he was worried for my health), I never raised my voice and I never ever hit or hurt my child.  

The pediatrician continued (he had sent me out of the room for something so he could have this talk with my Mom, but I heard them talking when I came back and stood outside the room so I did not interrupt.  He begged her, "Please take this child from her so she can get some sleep, we don't want our mothers hurting their children.  (She, being a registered nurse could see I was past exhausted.)  My Mom's response, "I already raised my children!"  (Actually my Grandmother did, but that is a different story and yes, my parents were married.)

This may have been the first time this Mom has been out of her house alone, in God knows how long.  Her doctor may even have made her get out of the house because he was afraid for her own health.  She may also be someone who goes out all the time, and leaves a 16 year old watching her child, I don't know their history.

All the supports and services you hear about are few and far between, you may think you know someone who has a lot of services for their child, but unless you walk in their shoes, you don't know what the true answer is.  In my state their are thousands on the waiting list for the most basic services and before a child can get off the list he may have drown or any number of things could have happened to him (or her, but 3/4 of the children with autism are boys).

That is why there are so many children missing who have autism.

One Mom I know found the only way she could get some sleep and not have her little Houdini brought to her house in the middle of the night by the police, because he was dancing in his diaper in the middle of the highway, was to sleep on the living room floor in front of the door with her leg tied to her son's leg with a pair of panty hose and pray that she woke up when she felt a tug on her leg.  Yes, she had every window and door locked, but many of these children, though they may seem to have little in the way of skills, can break through any lock or booundary you can put up.

This Mom was a wonderful advocate for children with autism.  She represented families in school districts for very little money to help other families win in court over the school districts so these children could be educated.  What happened?  The lawyers fought to pass a law so the only person who could represent these children were lawyers, meaning no advocate could represent your child in court.  This advocate was winning cases right and left and the lawyers got angry and made it so that neither she nor any other advocate (and there were many) could represent a child with autism, and help them get what they are entitled to.  The lawyers were losing money, because an advocate usually charges little or no money, they do it for the love they have for these children.  The lawyers wanted those clients, and they wanted the horrendous charges that it costs a parent to pay a lawyer when they go to court with a lawyer defending their child.  Many many people have lost their houses over these costs.  In other words, it was about money for the lawyers (on the child's side) who were very costly, and on the opposing side, the problem was they did not want to be upstaged by an advocate.

It is very costly to raise a child with autism and then try adding the cost of a lawyer to those costs.

As I said, as more children are diagnosed each year and there is no support, or very little support for these families, you will see more and more children with autism missing.

If you think you can do a better job than most of these parents are doing, I think these families would be glad to lend you their child for a month and see what you think then.  (Sorry, just had to add this piece for those who think they know what it is like but have no clue!)

There is a spectrum of children with autism, some are very severe and others have had supports and services (many times done by the families themselves).  I have taken many courses and have Masters Degree teaching courses from all over the country and Canada, even though my Undergraduate Degree is not in teaching.  

One problem that happens is the schools send out a teacher or two to learn a methodology, then that teacher comes back and teaches other teachers.  In other words, many courses and things that really work, have been changed along the way because nothing is ever totally the way the book tells you it is going to be.  Who is your mentor?  The reason for this way of whisper down the lane teaching is the first thing the school districts cut is teacher training, I am not pointing fingers at teachers.  

I cannot imagine a person taking one week or a weekend of Spanish, then teaching it to other people who then teach it to school children.

The difference is I took courses from an expert in each course, so that I had that expert as a mentor any time I came up with a problem or a question.  My Mentor was not someone who took a week or less of a course.  In fact, the course I used to teach my child Phonics, (the school district told me children with autism cannot learn Phonetically), is only taught by only 11 people around the country and Canada.  They don't want the method bastardized (that is where I learned that word) and the requirements to teach this course are rigorous.  My son can and does read Phonetically thanks to these wonderful men who came from Canada via the University of Southern Mississippi to teach me how to teach him to read Phonetically.  There is also a lot of work demanded each day by both the teacher and the parent, along with the student.  There is also nothing costly to buy, you make your own supplies.  I was both the teacher and the parent and also sent the people who worked with my child to the expert to learn the course.

If you are still awake, I just want to say, it is not easy and there are not enough supports in place for even the most patient of parents to get relief.  Thanks for reading this if you did, I just wanted to give you a small picture of what the home life is like of a family of a child with autism.  I didn't even mention that there is a much stronger chance that there is only one parent who stuck around.  Many divorces happen in these families, much more than a family with children without autism.  I could write on this topic for years and never write the same thing twice and still would not be able to give you the whole picture of what this is like.  

I also can tell you I never hurt my child.  Many parents are beaten daily by their children who are very frustrated from not being able to communicate with anyone.  I have seen so many parents with bruises all over them until these children are given the gift of communication.  There are many ways you can teach your child to communicate without verbal language, so learn one, or make one up that works for your family.

This, along with my whole post, is for everyone, I just happened to tag onto Red.

One more thing that may not seem important to some, but is important to many parents of children with disabilities is that you use people-first language.  What does that mean?  See the child before the disability.  For example--a child with autism.  The child (person) is first, the disability (autism) comes second.  Instead of using the words autistic child.  It would be wonderful if we could see each other as people first before we see/say what the difference between us is.

Remember, People first--child with autism!  That was a special request--please try it, you will start to see all people as people first!