Mystery of Grand Rapids man who vanished 30 years ago is part of bigger problem

The fate of a Grand Rapids man who vanished more than 30 years ago remains a mystery, despite clues, including baseball cards of his favorite players surfacing under a freeway overpass shortly after his disappearance.

Gordon Page Jr. went missing from his group home in 1991. Page was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder earlier that year, and his parents placed him in an established treatment center, according to the Doe Network.

The heartbreaking story was even featured in an episode of season seven of Unsolved Mysteries.

Page's case illustrates the challenges of individuals with autism and their families, as well as the need for resources to address the issue. Not only are people with autism more likely than others to go missing, but their cases also present more risk. However, there are ways that communities can help keep these tragedies from happening at all.

Many people on the autism spectrum have difficulty with communication and interaction with others or have symptoms that impact their ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life.

“From our analysis and from our partners at the National Autism Association and Autism Speaks, there are examples of children on the autism spectrum that show they seem to be attracted to bodies of water, roadways, traffic signals, trucks, sirens, and a number of different things for a number of different reasons," said Alan Nanavaty, executive director of the Missing Children's Division at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

In 2021, 286 children with autism were reported missing to the NCMEC. While this number may be a small percentage in relation to the 27,000 reports of missing children last year, there is heightened awareness for those cases due to the increased risk factors associated.

A study done by the American Association of Pediatrics concluded that 25-50 percent of children with ASD attempt to "elope," defined as leaving a safe, supervised space and being exposed to potential dangers such as open water and traffic.

Often, this phenomenon occurs due to overstimulation.

"While it's regularly referred to as wandering or eloping, it really is bolting, they just run, they get overstimulated and they run from where they are and then they go missing and it's a matter of trying to find them," said Nanavaty.

When these instances occur, the NCMEC has consultants throughout the country that are deployed to notify and assist law enforcement when searching for missing children with autism.

Nonetheless, for some families whose children with autism disappear, there is a tragic end.

Earlier this year, a 4-year-old with autism wandered away from a Georgia apartment building while visiting relatives. The boy, Kyuss Williams, was found dead by police in a nearby pond the next morning.

According to a summary of data by Missing Kids, from 2011-2020, 1,516 children with autism were reported missing to NCMEC. Of those children reported missing, 64 were recovered deceased, with drowning being the cause of death in 84% of those cases.

“Organizations across the US have tons of aquatic centers teaching these children to swim to minimize and hopefully mitigate the risk,” said Nanavaty.

When children do go missing or disappear, time is of the essence, and it is important for families and communities to come together in forming a plan before instances like these occur.

"If a child goes missing, always call 911 first. After law enforcement's been contacted, contact the national center at 1-800-THE-LOST. We invite all members of the public to come to our website and look at our impact page and our training resources for community members, family, educators, and more for all topics," added Nanavaty.

In April of last year, 500 people searched for a missing teenager with autism in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Ending tragically as well, the teens body was found later that weekend.

"We're able to leverage and help serve as the megaphone for a number of these smaller organizations or smaller specialists in the area that have developed best practices and we can help them reach a larger audience with the work that's being done and raising awareness," said Nanavaty.

Roughly 70 percent of actively missing children on the autism spectrum are classified as long-term missing children, meaning they haven't been seen in over six months. The longest missing duration of a recovered child is just under three years. The longest running time one child has remained actively missing is 10 years.

The longer a search continues, the less chance a missing person has on being found alive.

“One of the things that we talk to law enforcement about is to really do a good interview of the caregiver, because they’re gonna know what those triggers are, they’re gonna know what those stimulus are, they’re gonna know what the child is attracted to," said Nanavaty.

There have been few instances where long-term missing children are reunited with their families at last.

This past April, a missing autistic teenager from California, Connor Jack Oswald, was found in Utah after nearly three years. Oswald was reported missing in 2019 when he disappeared from his home. His mother never stopped searching for him, distributing fliers and squandering social media. After endless police search and multiple possible sightings, Oswald was finally found and able to return back home to his family.

"We have individuals on our Team Hope that have lived experience, they have children or family members that are on the autism spectrum. It's a peer support, so it's parents or family members of children who have gone missing or been exploited online and when a new family's child goes missing, we connect them with Team Hope so they have someone to talk to about those challenges that have been through it," said Nanavaty.

More: Hundreds search Michigan's Upper Peninsula in rain and snow for missing teen with autism

More: Body of Upper Peninsula teen missing for days is found, a heartbreaking end to the search

"It really comes down to knowing the child to understand where the child may go, helping narrow or expand the scope of the search because of what you know about the child's behaviors," said Nanavaty. "The more you know about the child, the more you can gauge the resources needed, and the better the chance of outcome."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gordon Page Jr. mystery part of bigger autism spectrum disorder issue