Watch: Technology Brings Home Missing Boy

Richland Co., S.C. (WOLO) — A 15 year old autistic boy is back with his family safe and sound after wandering away from his Woodboro Dr. home Sunday night.

The teenager’s mother Ardelia McDaniel explains that it’s not odd for her son to walk away from their house.

She tells ABC Columbia, “I used to break down and cry because I didn’t know if he was going to come back safely.”

Sunday night around 9:30 those fears resurfaced when the teenager went missing.

“I was scared he had me scared,” McDaniel says of the incident.

Luckily, her was back home in just minutes thanks to technology and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

“Our motto is ‘bringing our loved ones home’,” Deputy Amanda Jordan says of Project Lifesaver.

The program allows the Sheriff’s Department to track at-risk wanderers using transmitters and wrist worn receivers.

McDaniel’s son is one of 30 in the county who are part of the program.

She explains, “These range from Alzheimer’s, dementia, down syndrome, autism and anybody else who has any type of traumatic brain injury that could render them an at risk wanderer.”

Richland county is among sixteen others in the state using project lifesaver to locate lost loved ones and lessen search time.

“An average Alzheimer’s search is about 9-10 hours. With project lifesaver we’re cutting that 9-10 hour window down to about 30 minutes,” says Jordan.

Making homecomings happen sooner.

“Project lifesaver saved my life,” McDaniels exclaims.

Visit RCSD.net and look for the Project Lifesaver link to learn more.