A man with special needs who was missing for six days is finally back with his family in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Loved ones of Rashawn Williams, who is nonverbal and has Down syndrome, say the 31-year-old was found in a room at the Glenmont Metro station on Thursday, NBC Washington reported.
His father, Jimmy Hall, who is a metro rail operator, said his son was hungry and thirsty when he was discovered in the back room, where he is believed to have been for several days.
Williams was taken to a hospital to be checked out, and his family was overjoyed at his return. His father said the moment Williams saw his family, he began happily jumping up and down and even told his father hello.
In an update Thursday evening, the Montgomery County Department of Police said, “Rashawn Williams has been located safe and unharmed. Thank you for sharing!”
According to NBC, questions remain about how he was not found if officials looked for him at the station.
Video footage shows Williams leaving the Glenmont Metro station on Saturday, and he appears to go up an escalator:
While he was still missing, Willams’ father said anyone who located him should not approach him but should stay with him and “Don’t try to apprehend him.”
“If he walks off, just walk with him. Just follow him and call the police and stay with him,” he advised.
The NBC report detailed the circumstances leading up to Williams’ disappearance:
Williams disappeared about seven miles from where he was found. He was staying at a Residence Inn on Plum Orchard Drive in the White Oak area with members of his group home. They were staying there after a fire at the facility in Rockville. He told caregivers he was going to the bathroom and then disappeared. He was later seen on surveillance video walking out of the hotel.
The caregiving company said they called Williams’ family about an hour after he went missing, but Williams’ father says he wasn’t contacted for two hours. He was frantic with worry as the family scoured his possible route for days.
Additional surveillance video of Williams shows him leaving a train and a man helping him with the fare gate, WUSA 9 reported:
After his son was found safe, Hall said, “There are no words that can describe how I feel. None,” and called his child’s return a “blessing.”
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