Autistic man missing after father's death found alive in Antioch, family says
CHICAGO - Breaking update (April 13, 8:15 p.m.):
A 43-year-old man with autism who disappeared on the city's South Side shortly after his father's death has been found alive.
Family members confirmed to FOX 32 Saturday evening that Jon Baez had been located in Antioch, ending a search that has spanned since Easter Sunday.
Baez's father, a former Chicago police officer, passed away unexpectedly, and he was his sole caretaker.
Family members say Baez may have taken a Metra train to get to Antioch. Further details haven't been released.
This is a developing story and we'll bring more details as they become available.
Original:
A man with autism is missing on the city's South Side after his father, a former Chicago police officer, passed away.
Family members are very concerned about the 43-year-old missing man, Jon Baez, and where he could be.
Jon may be in the area near 86th and South Baltimore where the family home is, but he also likes to ride his bicycle to the library and take the train downtown to the museum campus to walk around.
His family isn't certain about how long he has been missing. Jon was last seen Easter Sunday by his brother at the home on South Baltimore.
His aunt says Jon was the sole caretaker of his father, David, who was a retired narcotics officer with Chicago police and was battling Parkinson's Disease.
"His father took care of him until he grew up, his brothers both got married, and it was just Dave and John and Dave got sick," said his aunt, Patricia Galindo. "John took over the job of taking care of Dad, making sure he'd eat…"
Last Friday, after calls went unanswered, the family went to check on the pair and found David had died and Jon was missing.
Jon has high-functioning autism and does not speak very much.
"Jon is a good guy, he’s a very quiet person, but when it came to talk, he would talk to the people he wanted to talk to," said Galindo.
He was last seen wearing a black North Face jacket or a black hoodie, and he’s described as about 5-foot-8 with light brown hair and a small scar above the bridge of his nose.
"Did he see something that scared him so bad that, you know, he left? He doesn't have his phone with him. We found keys in the back, but that doesn't mean he didn't drop them as he was leaving. There was no foul play. Police had searched and said no," said Galindo.
Anyone with more information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the Chicago Police Department.