A boy living with autism has been reunited with his family after he went missing in the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria.
Parsa, aged 6 is non-verbal. He was at a family Easter gathering at the play space on Olinda Monbulk Road when he wandered off at 4pm.
Friends and family searched frantically for him however, he could not be found, so they reported him as missing to Victoria Police.
A large-scale search operation was launched immediately to locate him.
The search had been called off the day when a local 18-year-old boy heard about the missing child.
He decided to hop onto his mountain bike and help look for the 6-year-old.
The teenager was riding along a trail when he came across Parsa at 8.15pm.
Victoria Police said the boy “looked sleep deprived” but was in otherwise good health.
“Searches for lost children with autism can be particularly challenging as often they are unable to communicate with searchers,” Knox Acting Senior Sergeant Mel Gostimir said.
“After speaking with Parsa’s family, our members found out that his favourite song was Hickory Dickory Dock and a song about learning the alphabet so they began playing that on their phones and through the PA systems on their police cars.
“We are so grateful for the support from the local volunteer services and community members who attended to assist in the search.”
He has since been reunited with his family.
