Detroit boy, 8, found walking along freeway

Mother says boy takes cab to, from school; district investigates what went wrong

DETROIT – Just the thought of her 8-year-old son with special needs walking by himself on the shoulder of a busy freeway makes this mother want to cry.

"He could have got hit, and then what would you have told me if he got hit?" said Angela Brooks.

Brooks doesn't drive. Because she doesn't drive, her son takes about a 20-minute cab ride to and from Thirkell Elementary School on 14th Street in Detroit. On Wednesday, after school, Brooks found her son was missing. She immediately jumped on the bus to search for her son. Other family members also went looking.

State troopers found the boy walking along Interstate 96 near West Grand Boulevard in Detroit. Brooks keeps thinking about what could have happened.

"It freaked me out. I was really worried. First thing I thought, someone could have grabbed him," she said.

Here's how the school district is responding:

"Detroit Public Schools takes the safety and security of its students very seriously. The district has begun a full investigation into this matter and will be reviewing all procedures regarding the dismissal of students, as well as their transition to and from our care."

-- Michelle A. Zdrodowski, Executive Director of Communications, Detroit Public Schools