Avonte Oquendo's brother shares heartache and thanks New Yorkers

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/24/avonte-oquenedo-brother-danny-thanks-new-yorkers-search

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The older brother of Avonte Oquendo, the teenager whose disappearance in New York sparked a four-month search that concluded with the discovery of his body, has thanked the city and spoken out for better protection of autistic children.

“The people of New York responded to our anguish with a tremendous amount of support and vigilance,” Danny Oquendo wrote, in an essay for the website Autism Speaks. “What was even more inspiring was that every volunteer I had the opportunity of meeting acted as if Avonte was their own flesh and blood.”

Fourteen-year-old Avonte, who could not communicate verbally, left school in the middle of the day on 4 October 2013. New York was soon covered with missing person posters for Avonte and city transit officials made announcements asking for help to find the teen, who had an interest in the subway system. His body was found on the shore of New York’s East river in January.

“Overcome with grief and hopelessness, there was only one place we could turn to for help, the people of New York City,” said Danny. He said he gathered volunteers, while his mother and the family attorney led the media campaign to find Avonte.

“Although the daily New York experience may feel like one of isolation among crowds, any true New Yorker will tell you that when it matters most, this city comes together in larger numbers than any other community on the planet – as proven after the tragedy of 9/11. This tendency for New Yorkers to come together also held true during the city-wide search for my younger brother.”

Avonte was last seen on the school’s surveillance footage, and his family had filed a notice of claim saying they planned to sue the city, arguing that school officials waited too long to alert police that Oquendo had gone missing. In the letter, Danny also questioned the circumstances that led to his brother’s disappearance.

“On any other day it might have been safe to assume this was just an unruly teen attempting to play hooky from school,” Danny said. “This turned out to be an assumption that will haunt my family for decades to come.”

Danny said the situation could have been avoided if schools “were better equipped to handle children with autism” and called for the city’s support to get the government to change school security protocols. He also applauded New York senator Chuck Schumer for proposing a bill called Avonte's law that would finance an initiative to provide optional tracking devices for children with autism.

“It turns out that before it was all said and done, Avonte did indeed become the beloved son of the city,” Danny said. “His story touched everyone’s heart and everyone wanted to ensure that he was found safe and sound.”