Missing Miami-Dade man with autism found safe out of state, police say

MDPD: Alejandro Suarez, 20, was ‘in good physical and mental health’ when he was found

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A 20-year-old man with autism who was reported missing in Miami-Dade County has been found out of state, Miami-Dade police confirmed Thursday.

According to police, Alejandro Suarez was “in good physical and mental health” when he was found.

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They did not confirm which state he was located in or how he traveled there.

According to authorities, Suarez was reported missing after he left his home in Westchester Monday and then his family found a cryptic note in his car.

“He didn’t answer any calls,” Odalys Heredia, Suarez’s mother, told Local 10 News on Wednesday.

Heredia said before her son left Monday, he told her he was going to the Miami-Dade College Kendall campus to work on something for school, which she found odd, considering Monday was the Fourth of July holiday.

“He said, ‘Don’t worry. It’s only a short time,’” Heredia said.

Family members located his vehicle in a church parking lot adjacent to the campus, Heredia said. She said a security guard on campus remembered seeing him and told him to park at the church because their parking lot was closed.

Family members then found a note in Alejandro’s car, saying “I wanna be free. I don’t wanna be a helpless person,” Heredia said.

They do not believe he wrote it himself.

“That’s not him,” Suarez’s sister, Leydis Fernández, said. “He doesn’t write like that.”

No other details about his disappearance have been released.


About the Authors:

Liane Morejon is an Emmy-winning reporter who joined the Local 10 News family in January 2010. Born and raised in Coral Gables, Liane has a unique perspective on covering news in her own backyard.

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.