AP New Mexico (USA)

New Mexico (USA)

Updated Thursday, February 29, 2024-08:13

A missing teen with autism was found in

New Mexico

, about 200 miles (322 kilometers) from his home in southern

Arizona

, according to New Mexico State Police.

The 13-year-old boy appeared Tuesday at a

Walmart in Deming

after disappearing the night before from his family home in

Tucson

.

Hoping to identify the young man, authorities in New Mexico shared an image on social media and asked for help from the population.

Within minutes, according to state police, someone recognized the teen from another Tucson police posting.

On Wednesday they confirmed that the young man had been reunited with his family and was back and safe at his home.

"Thank you to everyone who made this possible by sharing, commenting and spreading the news," New Mexico State Police said on social media.

The family expressed their gratitude to the police and the community on social media.

They don't know how the boy got to Deming

.

"My mother got up and he was no longer home. The front door was open and he was just gone," the boy's brother, Mikel Desmond, told Albuquerque television station

KRQE

.

The family contacted the police, searched nearby areas and created a missing person notice that they shared online.

As the hours passed, Desmond said he began to lose hope of finding his brother.

He said that even if someone had given him a cell phone and told him to call home, he wouldn't have been able to because he can't communicate verbally.

On Tuesday night, the family received a call from authorities in New Mexico after the boy was discharged from a local hospital.

Desmond said his brother arrived at the Walmart, where

he tried to buy food and drinks

but had no money.

Then the teenager would have hidden in the bathroom, and was later found by security forces.

"It's amazing how quickly news can spread on social media," Desmond said.

“And we would never have thought so many people would get in touch and ask how they could help.”

Desmond said he and his mother had driven to New Mexico after receiving the call, and drove three hours there and three hours back to pick up the boy and take him home.

They shared a photo of their meeting at the hospital in Deming.