Clayton News Daily

By Joel Hall

jhall@news-daily.com

More than 48 hours after Devon Myles Swaby went missing from the Ash Street Center, Forest Park police were able to reunite the 15-year-old with his family, thanks to police and local shelter workers in DeKalb County.

On Saturday, DeKalb County Police located Swaby after the teen showed up in a homeless shelter in Decatur. According to detective Lt. James Delk, of the Forest Park Police Department, workers at the shelter notified DeKalb police and police later determined that Swaby was on the state's missing persons list.

"He had wound up at a shelter in DeKalb," Delk said. "Two of the workers there were talking to him and they realized that something was wrong. They were the ones who contacted DeKalb. We went to DeKalb County and picked him up. He was found safe. Once he got back here, we contacted his mother and let her know that he was safe. We were able to reunite mother and son."

The Ash Street Center in Forest Park is geared for students with emotional or behavioral disorders and students with severe autism. According to police, Swaby, a Riverdale resident, went missing on Thursday afternoon after leaving the center without the permission of school personnel, or his parent.

Delk said Swaby left the center, because "he was just being upset."

"He's a young, teenage boy," Delk said. "He's got a lot going on in his life, and he was just upset. There are no charges pending. We're just glad we were able to find him safely. A lot of young folks are never found. In this case, it was a positive outcome."

Delk said police are still working to determine where, and with whom, Swaby spent the two days he was missing.