OPP search of missing teen with autism lacks urgency: coalition

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) continue their search near Peterborough, Ont. for a missing and vulnerable autistic teenager as concerns mount about how long it took to get this extensive probe underway.

Logan, 18, left his Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, Ont. home through a window the night of Sunday, Oct. 13. He hasn’t been seen or heard from since, and his mom, Jenny Tozer, tells The Leader Spirit the police search for her autistic son has lacked urgency, while she has been consumed with fear.

“He’s high-functioning autistic. He’s also got ADHD, social anxiety disorder, and intellectual disorder,” Tozer said.

When asked if this was relayed to investigators, Tozer said she informed police officers of her son’s condition, and it appears to have landed on deaf ears. She believes it’s partly due to his age as an 18-year-old.

“But mentally, he’s 12 to 14.”

Tozer notes that this isn’t the first time her son has gone missing, even if it was for “a short amount of time.” Logan’s mother says she and her husband reported him missing the evening of Monday, Oct. 14, and police came to search their large property the next day.

“They [used] drones, and they [had] people walking the property, [that] kind of thing, but they didn’t find anything,” she said.

Ontario Autism Coalition critical of police response

Tozer says officers returned with ATVs to once again search the sprawling property on the ninth day of Logan’s disappearance and were at the home on Monday. Still, a representative with the Ontario Autism Coalition believes authorities should have taken the family’s concern for their missing son more seriously.

“You’re talking about somebody who doesn’t really have a lot of the social skills to ask for help,” said Kate Dudley Logue, VP of Community Outreach with the Ontario Autism Coalition. “And that’s what makes it really alarming. That’s why we would have liked to have seen more urgency from the authorities.”

In response to these claims, Central Region OPP tells The Leader Spirit that officials shared a missing person poster on social media on Tuesday, Oct. 15, issued a media release on Thursday, Oct. 17, and have since utilized online platforms to appeal to the public.

“We understand the community’s concern and want to assure everyone that officers are following up on every tip to locate Logan,” an OPP spokesperson said.

All the while, Tozer says she’s been falling apart.

“I don’t sleep well; I barely eat,” she said. “My husband and kids keep reminding me to eat, but I have issues with it because I wonder where [Logan] is getting his meals.”

Those in the Havelock/Peterborough area are being asked to diligently check their sheds, properties, and backyards.

However, because it’s been more than 14 days, OPP believes Logan may be outside that area. Authorities are asking community members to observe his photo and, if they see the 18-year-old, to contact investigators.