A 14-year-old boy at the centre of a statewide Florida Missing Child Spectrum Alert has been found safe, authorities said.
Lucas Maresca was located about four miles from his home in Spring Hill, Hernando County, after deputies appealed to the public for help finding him. The alert was subsequently cancelled.
Maresca had last been seen near the 10,500 block of Blythville Road. The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said he had left the property on foot after forcing open the lock on his bedroom window.
Authorities said Maresca is non-verbal and autistic and may run if approached. Residents had been asked to check porches, sheds and other nearby areas during the search.
He was described as having brown hair and brown eyes and was believed to be wearing a white polo shirt, grey shorts with a black stripe and SpongeBob slippers when he disappeared.
Bad weather hindered an aerial search, while bloodhounds from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit were deployed to assist deputies.
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office had urged anyone with information to call 911 or contact the agency directly on 352-754-6830.
