Crime & Safety
Hundreds of Volunteers Fan Out in Search for Missing Autistic Boy in Menifee
Terry Smith has been missing and without his medication for more than a day, and search efforts are ramping up in Menifee.
The search for a missing autistic Menifee boy will continue through the night, according to a sheriff’s official.
Other than that, there were no updates to provide in the case, Riverside County sheriff’s Deputy Albert Martinez told Patch just after 5 p.m. Monday.
A law enforcement command post was set up at Murrieta and Wickerd roads in Menifee in the search for 11-year-old Terry Dewayne Smith, who according to sheriff's officials went missing sometime in the night after 7:30 p.m. Saturday when he went to bed.
Deputies were called out to his home at 10:33 a.m. Sunday in the 33000 block of Helen Lane when his mom went to his room to check on him-- but he wasn't there, according to the deputy.
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Several hundred citizens also pitched in for the search effort Monday, despite triple-digit temperatures. A command post for public volunteers is at Menifee Market on Scott Road, just before the intersection with Murrieta road.
Kay Hilleary of Murrieta and Ivan Henderson of Moreno Valley were loading water bottles into a truck parked outside the market Monday afternoon. The two said they know Terry's mother, and encouraged anyone who can assist in the search to come out to the market.
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"He needs to be found," Hilleary said.
A Facebook page, "Find Terry Smith," is being used as a hub for information about the volunteer search effort.
Deputy Martinez said while there was no immediate evidence of foul play in the boy's disappearance, it had not been ruled out entirely.
"They did process the house yesterday and didn’t find any clues as far as any type of foul play. But they are not ruling anything out and are talking to the family members," Martinez said.
The deputy added that it was not typical for the boy, who takes medications, to not contact his mother.
"Usually if he does leave he is in contact with his mom, which makes it awkward in this situation because he hasn’t contacted mom yet. He knows his telephone number," Martinez said.
Terry is blond, has blue eyes, is 4 feet 8 and weighs 76 pounds; he was last seen wearing blue basketball shorts, officials said.
Anyone with information on Terry was asked to call the Menifee Investigations Unit at 951-210-1000 or Riverside County sheriff's dispatch at 951-776-1099.
—Maggie Avants contributed to this report.
ORIGINAL POST 1:57 p.m.:
Eleven-year-old Terry Dewayne Smith went missing sometime in the night after 7:30 p.m. Saturday when he went to bed, according to Riverside County sheriff's Deputy Albert Martinez.
Deputies were called out to his home at 10:33 a.m. Sunday in the 33000 block of Helen Lane when his mom went to his room to check on him-- but he wasn't there, according to the deputy.
Crews-- including a bloodhound-- searched all day Sunday to no avail. About a dozen deputies continued the search all night long, and more people joined the operation Monday morning.
According to Martinez, there are about 100 sheriff's volunteers on the case, and another 200 citizens-- from as far away as Yucaipa-- helping out Monday. The sheriff's mounted posse is searching on horseback, and volunteers from the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit are also on scene.
It's believe that boy, who has now been without necessary medication for more than a day, walked away from his home on his own. It's not believed that he was taken.
"At this point, there's no evidence pointing that [he was taken]," Martinez told Patch. "Right now, all we have is that he probably wandered off."
"[Investigators] did process the house yesterday and they didn't find any clues as far as any type of foul play, but they're not ruling anything out," he added.
Monday's search was focusing on a two-mile radius from the Menifee home, which is mostly comprised of large dirt lots and hilly terrain, Martinez said.
"It's not your typical city roads where everything is just flat," he said.
Volunteers were gathering on Scott Road, just west of Murrieta, Martinez said. Anyone who wished to help out was encouraged to bring water and stay hydrated.
Terry is blond, has blue eyes, is 4 feet 8 and weighs 76 pounds; he was last seen wearing blue basketball shorts, officials said.
Anyone with information on Terry was asked to call the Menifee Investigations Unit at 951-210-1000 or Riverside County sheriff's dispatch at 951-776-1099.
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