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SmilingInside · Aug 13, 2012, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by JudyKayTee

If it's a continuation of this problem it goes here so people don't have to search out this thread in order to find the background.

Well I'll give you the gist of it, and hen you tell me whether to post it here or make a new one.

I just found out today that my son had run away from the facility he was at on FRIDAY. They just told me today. He's still missing.

I got a call from some strange number and I didn't answer it, this was on Saturday before I knew about him being missing. Anyway, I called the number back today to try to see if it was him, I left a message and he called back. It was some older sketchy sounding guy who said he had let my son use his phone.

What the heck do I do here? I don't want to do the wrong thing and scare this guy off because it's the ONLY lead on his whereabouts, but I am so unsure about what to do. I can't believe the man actually called me back.

I'm so damn confused right now about all of this... why was I not notified, what to do, what to do about this man who let him use his phone?? I don't know whether it's a good idea to call the police and tell them about the man's phone number or if that's a bad idea because it might lose the only lead we have. I was thinking to give it 24 hours and see if he calls back (the man said he'd have my son call, so I'm waiting). I don't know what the police could even do since the phone was from a different city than where my son is believed to be. I'm guessing the guy is a crackhead and it's probably a throwaway phone, he surely sounded pretty skeevy.

EDIT:My son has a substance abuse issue so I'm sure when he ran off he went straight on the lookout for drugs or alcohol and I'm thinking he probably got mixed up in something real bad here.

ScottGem · Aug 13, 2012, 06:17 PM

Tell the police. Don't wait. No brainer.

SmilingInside · Aug 13, 2012, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by ScottGem

Tell the police. don't wait. No brainer.

The police are already aware he's missing... I'm just unsure about telling them about the phone number because what if it causes me to lose the only lead I have?

ScottGem · Aug 13, 2012, 06:25 PM

Tell them

SmilingInside · Aug 13, 2012, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by ScottGem

tell them

Half of me thinks that's right but the other half I'm trying to put myself in this guy's place, if the cops call him, he's just going to deny ever seeing the kid and then won't take my calls anymore either. At least he talked to me, I guarantee if the cops call him he won't ever talk to me again and certainly won't give them any info. At least I got info out of him. See the dilemma?

J_9 · Aug 13, 2012, 07:28 PM

It should be your first priority to give the police this number. They won't call it, they will track it and find out where this person is, then go in person. Hopefully your son will be there and be safe.

If this guy is as "skeevy" as you feel that he is, there may be the lives of other children at stake.

SmilingInside · Aug 13, 2012, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by J_9

It should be your first priority to give the police this number. They won't call it, they will track it and find out where this person is, then go in person. Hopefully your son will be there and be safe.

If this guy is as "skeevy" as you feel that he is, there may be the lives of other children at stake.

Are you sure they won't call the number? Because if they do, all will be lost. Also, the phone is a cell phone from a totally different city than where my son is, different state even. I'm also assuming it's a prepaid, based on how the guy sounded. How would they trace it?

J_9 · Aug 13, 2012, 07:40 PM

They trace it by where it last pinged from. I'm not exactly sure how that works, but it would be from the closest cell tower from where the call came from. The area code on the phone may be different, but the ping could actually be local.

It may be a throw away, but you are only assuming that, you don't know for sure.

SmilingInside · Aug 13, 2012, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by J_9

They trace it by where it last pinged from. I'm not exactly sure how that works, but it would be from the closest cell tower from where the call came from. The area code on the phone may be different, but the ping could actually be local.

It may be a throw away, but you are only assuming that, you don't know for sure.

I called the police and gave them all the information, I don't know what will happen, the cop sounded pretty grim, but I'll update if I hear anything.