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Apr 29, 2009 11:42 pm US/Eastern
Boy Goes Missing, Winds Up In California
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Kenton Weaver, like many 13-year-olds, is fascinated by flying. He wanted to fly so badly he decided to take a cross country trip on Tuesday--alone.
For a few hours, Weaver's family was worried sick. They had no idea where the autistic child was.
"I don't understand how he was able to get it done," said his father Dean Weaver, outside his Boca Raton home.
Tuesday morning, Kenton Weaver took the keys to his father's car, drove himself to the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and hopped a flight to Chicago, then to San Jose, California. That is where Kenton's mother lives.
"I know why he went," Dean Weaver said. "His mother, his grandfather and uncle live in the area, so if he had a chance to get there he took it. He hasn't seen them in a while, so I understand that that's why he would go there. But all the things he had to do to get there seem really confusing."
Like how did a 13-year-old buy a plane ticket and get past the scrutiny of airport security without an ID? Greg Meyer, spokesperson for the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, said the airport followed regulations.
"The young man that apparently traveled through our airport was under the age of 18, so therefore he was not required to have identification," Meyer said. "He was over the age of 11 and had a proper boarding pass so everything worked in the system."
While Dean Weaver tries to get the answers to his questions, the more pressing concern is making sure his son doesn't attempt a similar trip. Weaver said his son has left home before. Weaver said his son's autism causes the boy to fixate on fulfilling his desires.
"He gets fixated on doing different things," Weaver said. "Sometimes it's food, but many times it's surroundings airplanes. He wants to work on one. He wants to fly one. He wants to travel on one. He just cannot make the right decisions."
After his 3,000 mile adventure, Kenton is safe with his family in California, while his parents figure out how to get him the help he needs.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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