JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — UPDATE, 12/30/24, 4:26 p.m.: The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Donte Dowdell has been found safe and thanks everyone who assisted in the search.
Original story below:
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has issued a Florida Missing Child Alert for a Jacksonville boy.
On Monday afternoon, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it was searching for 11-year-old Donte Dowdell, who they said is “reported to be diagnosed with autism.”
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Donte was last seen in the 6000 block of Triumph Lane in the Jacksonville Heights area around 10 a.m. Monday.
Donte has brown eyes, black hair, and was last seen wearing a gray shirt with blue Puma lettering, gray basketball shorts, and white Nike sneakers. He is 4 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 85 pounds.
JSO said Donte is considered to be “missing and endangered” after he walked away from his home “in an unknown direction.”
Anyone with any information on Donte’s whereabouts is asked to call JSO at 904-630-0500.
What is a Florida Missing Child Alert?
According to FDLE, “The Florida Missing Child Alert was established in 2003 to provide law enforcement with a tool to quickly disseminate information when a child is missing and believed to be in life-threatening danger, but there is no indication that the child has been abducted.
“The Missing Child Alert is a media-focused emergency broadcast designed to engage the public in the search for the missing child.
“A Missing Child Alert may evolve into an AMBER Alert if the law enforcement investigation later reveals an indication that the child has been abducted. In these instances, the Missing Child Alert can serve as a mechanism to begin releasing information to the public while law enforcement continues to investigate the cause of the disappearance.”
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