AURORA — An 11-year-old autistic boy, who police believe left his home through a second story window Sunday night, was found safe early this morning.
Aurora police and Citizen Emergency Response Team volunteers searched for Brandon Wells, who they say is non-verbal, from the time he was reported missing from his home near East Hampden Avenue and South Picadilly Street around 9:30 p.m., until he was found safe about 4 a.m. in open space near his home.
At a press conference this afternoon, Aurora fire officials said the boy was wearing a Life Trak device by Care Trak Systems, but it was not working properly.
“There may have been some damage to the battery,” Aurora fire official Matt Chapman said.
This is he second time the tracking device failed when Brandon left his home while wearing it. On May 28, the device also had what appears to be a battery problem, Aurora police spokeswoman Cassidee Carlson said.
The boy was found quickly and was issued a new battery.
His mother, Mariana Wells, was charged in Adams County District Court with child neglect after that incident, Carlson said.
Aurora fire officials recommend that parents test the batteries in the tracking device at least once daily.
The Colorado Life Trak program was implemented in Aurora a year ago. Police said 14 people use the device and Brandon’s is the first reported failure.
It was the second time in two weeks that an autistic child who had a tracking device on went missing in the Denver area. The body of Kristina Vlassenko, 10, was found in water at an Arvada construction site.
Police did not receive a signal in the Arvada case, either. Care Trak Systems officials said the device was working properly, but murky water where police found the girl’s body blocked the transmission.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
