MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – A 17-year-old autistic teen who was reported missing early Wednesday morning has been reunited with his family.
An Amber Alert was issued for Dion Gardner after he was last seen at a Meijer store in Madison Heights just after midnight.
His father, Peyton Rhodes, said Gardner got upset while the family was shopping.
“He took off into a dark area that I could not see, so I had to get the vehicle and look for him. I could not find him," Rhodes said.
Gardner has limited verbal and mental capacities.
“All he could do was walk around and hope that somebody found him. And, I’m glad we did," Rhodes said.
Gardner was spotting walked down a road about a mile from the store.
"I am so relieved. I was so thankful to God, thankful to all the support of the police," Gardner's mother, Wanda Fuller, said. "Words cannot express how happy I am."