Missing St. Augustine Teen With Autism Found Safe, Reunited With Family

A 16-year-old St. Augustine boy with autism and schizophrenia who had been missing since Saturday afternoon was found safe Monday morning, less than a mile from the command post where deputies and volunteers had gathered to keep searching for him.

Benjamin Adcock was last seen near Whispering Woods Lane and State Road 207. St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick had organized a multi-day search that drew family members, deputies and community volunteers, including a Monday morning search party staged in the Epic Theater parking lot. Word that Benjamin had been found came in the middle of a live news conference where Hardwick was updating the public on the search.

Hardwick said Benjamin was located by a resident who recognized him, took him into their home and called authorities. According to local news reports, the couple who found him, a woman named Maureen and her husband Michael, said they weren't looking for any recognition. Maureen said she was leaving to pick up a friend when she spotted a teenager walking down her street and immediately knew who he was from photos that had circulated on social media during the search. Michael said his first thought was making sure Benjamin felt safe, so he brought him inside and stayed with him until deputies arrived.

Benjamin was found about two miles from where he'd last been seen and reunited with his mother shortly after, surrounded by deputies. The sheriff's office later shared a photo of him safe inside the couple's home before the reunion.

Hardwick said Benjamin had not been taking his prescribed medication, a detail that had raised the urgency of the search from the start.

The case ended the way every family hopes one like it will: quickly, and because a neighbor was paying attention. It's also a reminder of how fast a search command post can come together in St. Johns County, and how many people, from deputies to volunteers gathering in a theater parking lot, show up when a local kid goes missing.

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