DUNNELLON, Fla. — An Amber Alert was issued Thursday night for a 17-year-old boy from Marion County who authorities say may have been abducted.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Caden Speight was last seen in the 12800 block of Southwest Highway 484 in Dunnellon.
Investigators believe he may be traveling with four unidentified men in a light-colored van. The men are possibly Hispanic, authorities said.
They said Speight is 6 feet tall and weighs around 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt, though the color of the shirt is not known.
The Uvalde Foundation For Kids, a nonprofit student advocacy and violence prevention group created after the May 2022 mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, announced Friday it is launching independent search efforts for Speight.
The group said it is working to coordinate with law enforcement and the teen’s family as concerns of foul play grow.
The foundation is also offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to Speight’s safe return.
Volunteers from Miami and Orlando are expected to assist with search efforts, distributing fliers and canvassing neighborhoods where Speight was last seen. The group said it will also use its 24-hour online crisis response system to track tips and information.
The nonprofit has previously been involved in other missing child cases, including a California infant and teens allegedly taken by members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Additional volunteers are being sought to help in the search. Information on joining can be found through the Uvalde Foundation For Kids at 254-499-8027 or on its website.
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