I have extremely sad news to share. The missing autistic teen who was assumed to be dead after remains were found at College Point is in fact dead.(see: http://www.sacerdotus.com/2013/10/avonte-oquendo-missing.html
http://www.sacerdotus.com/2013/10/avonte-oquendo-missing.html)
The remains found at College Point, Queen do belong to autistic teen Avonte Oquendo. DNA tests have accurate identified and confirmed this. The Oquendo family is devastated, in particular the mother who has been hoping that the remains found were not that of her son.
A lawsuit will be filed against the city of New York for wrongful death. Avonte was not supervised by his school allowing him to leave the property without notice. He was supposed to have an adult with him at all times.
The news has broken all of our hearts especially his family and the many volunteers who spent hours looking for him. Some speculate that Avonte may have been chased by a dog and fell into the waters of Queens where he would drown. Nevertheless, the NYPD is still conducting an investigation to rule out foul play.
The video of Avonte running away from his school will remain as a haunting image of what will happen if special needs children are not cared for properly. I do hope the Oquendo family will be successful in their suit against the city.
While money will not bring back Avonte, a victory will keep the safety concerns of special needs children public and as a priority.
More needs to be done in order to protect these vulnerable creations of God. GPS tracking devices should be given free of charge to families of autistic children in order to keep track of their kids.
My condolences to Avonte's family and loved ones. This is a sad day for all of us. May the soul of Avonte rest in peace.
Source:
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/avonte-oquendo-remains-found-dna-tests-confirm-article-1.1586616
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/21/justice/ny-avonte-remains/
http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/avonte-oquendo-s-remains-identified-1.6843527
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=9401947
Eternal rest grant unto Avonte Oquendo, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul rest in the bosom of your eternal love for evermore and may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
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