JESUS GARZA - 13 yo(with Autism) - San Jose CA

Police seek help finding missing teen with autism
Updated at 01:42 PM today




Police are looking for Jesus Garza, 13, who disappeared from
his San Jose bedroom around midnight on Monday. (Bay City News)

SAN JOSE, Calif. --
San Jose police are asking the public to help locate a missing 13-year-old boy who has autism.
Jesus Garza went to bed at his home in the 300 block of
North Eighth Street around 12:30 a.m. today, but when his parents
checked on him at about 6:30 a.m., he wasn't there, police said. The boy is autistic and has the mental capacity of a 6- or
7-year-old, according to police. His speech is "slow and deliberate" and
may not be easy to understand, police said. Jesus does not have a history of running away, but police do not suspect foul play in his disappearance. He attended Peter Burnett Middle School and is scheduled to attend
Leland High School in the fall. He is currently taking summer school
classes at Horace Mann Elementary School. He is known to
frequent the PetSmart at 607 Coleman Ave. Officers have searched
those sites but have not found any traces of Jesus. He is
described as Mexican-American, with black hair and black eyes. He is
about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. He may be wearing a
black T-shirt, black shorts and black shoes. San Jose police have enlisted the help of a Santa Clara County search-and-rescue team to look for him. Anyone with information about Jesus or his whereabouts is asked to
call 911 and reference San Jose police case .11-192-0170. Cellphone
users may also contact the Police Department's 911 center at (408) 277-8911.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/south_bay&id=8244295

Missing autistic San Jose teen found on bus in Los Angeles was hoping to meet celebrities he loved

11/2011 07:33:03 PM PDT

Click photo to enlarge


Jesus Garza, 13, who has autism, was reported missing from his San Jose home... (San Jose Police)

Jesus Garza almost made it to Hollywood. And his parents are so grateful that he didn't.Triggering
a frantic, daylong police search, the autistic 13-year-old traveled on a
bus from San Jose to Los Angeles hoping to meet the stars of his
favorite shows such as "Drake and Josh" and "iCarly."When police
figured out where he was headed, they had LAPD officers meet him at the
Greyhound station. San Jose officers were driving to Southern California
on Monday night to pick him up."When he gets home we're just
going to get on with life after suffering like this, not wondering what
happened, crying all day and going into a panic," said Guillermo Garza,
the boy's father. "Maybe we'll bring him on a trip to Great America or
have a big celebration."The search began when Jesus' parents
awoke Monday about 6:30 a.m. and found out he was not inside the
family's home in the 300 block of North 8th Street, San Jose police
said. Jesus has the mental capacity of a 6- or 7-year-old, police
said. He had no history of running away, but police soon learned from
his younger brother, Giovani, that he sometimes spoke of going to Los
Angeles to visit television celebrities from his favorite shows,
including Drake Bell of "Drake and Josh" and Jenette McCurdy of
"iCarly.""He wanted to be famous," Garza said.Investigators
confirmed with Greyhound employees in San Jose that Jesus bought a
ticket and boarded a 10 a.m. bus destined for SouthernCalifornia. Surveillance video
confirmed that Jesus, who is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 150
pounds, apparently purchased the ticket on his own. No one from
Greyhound was available to comment, but the company's website states
that parents of unaccompanied children between 8 and 14 years old must
fill out a form authorizing a trip and a designated adult must meet them
at their destination.
Greyhound employees located the bus in
which Jesus was traveling and LAPD officers took him into protective
custody when he arrived at the San Fernando Valley about 4:30 p.m., He
was, police said, fine. "We don't think anyone lured him down there," said SJPD Officer Jose Garcia, a department spokesman. "But we want to make sure."The
Garza family said they believe that Jesus might have planned his
getaway by saving money his parents gave him for snacks and sodas. After
he went missing, they realized the money -- about $40 -- was gone. So
were some clothes.Garza said the family was thankful for the way the police tracked his son down so far away."The truth is they were excellent, super excellent," he said.http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18455859?nclick_check=1