Missing 10-Year-Old Boy Found by City Refuse Worker

All’s well that ends well.

That was the sentiment around city hall after a city refuse worker found a 10-year-old Lakewood boy, who was reported missing Wednesday, and returned him to his parents an hour-and-a-half later.

A Brown Road man told police that he’d sent his son to the store at around 9:30 a.m. July 10, according to the police report. An hour later, he became worried when the boy didn’t return home, and called police.

At around 10:30 a.m., a city yard waste crew came across the boy’s mother crying, and running down the sidewalk near Brown Road and Athens Avenue looking for him.

The city employees put a radio call out to all refuse workers to keep an eye out for him.

About 20 minutes later, city worker Matt Furlong saw the boy at Athens and Chesterland avenues heading east.

“Matt asked if he was (the missing boy) and the boy said yes,” said Chris Perry, the unit manager of the refuse and recycling department, in an email to colleagues at city hall.

The boy was taken home — in style.

“Getting to go for a ride in the garbage truck quickly ended any tears the boy may have had.”  

Turns out, the boy went to the wrong store. 

No word on whether he picked up the goods.