A 16-year-old boy was found safe near the Connecticut border after a search that stretched more than 28 hours and drew in agencies from two states.
The teen, identified only as Mateo, had gone missing from his home on Moulton Hill Road in Monson, Massachusetts, at around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 30. He is nonverbal and has Down syndrome, and he lives with the family’s two dogs, a boxer and a pug.
How the Search Unfolded
Westcomm Regional Dispatch received the initial missing person report Tuesday morning, and search efforts began shortly after. Investigators soon reviewed security camera footage showing Mateo walking south with the dogs, heading toward the Connecticut state line. A resident later reported spotting him in a front yard just yards from the border, but no confirmed sightings followed.
Because the terrain in the search area is remote and rugged, officials called in extensive support. Key details from the operation include:
- More than 150 personnel from 18 local, state, and regional agencies took part
- Ground search and rescue teams, K9 units, and the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing were deployed
- Connecticut State Police and the Stafford Fire Department joined the effort once the trail pointed across state lines
- The extended search was paused around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday after crews and dogs became fatigued, though Monson Police kept watch overnight
- Additional resources arrived Wednesday morning to resume the operation
Throughout the search, officials asked area residents not to organize their own search parties. Instead, they urged people living near Moulton Hill Road, Childs Road, and the surrounding Monson and Stafford neighborhoods to check doorbell and security camera footage, along with sheds, garages, barns, campers, and other outbuildings where Mateo or the dogs might have taken shelter.
A Safe Ending
Around 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, a Connecticut State Police K9 team located Mateo just over the state line in the Stafford area, with both dogs still by his side. According to one account, he walked out of the wooded area on his own and approached the nearest rescue crew.
Monson Fire Chief Brian Harris confirmed the good news, saying the team was very happy to report Mateo had been located safe and sound. He added that the teen was being taken for evaluation and that his family was eager to have him home.
Monson Police Chief Nicholas Gasperini thanked the local, regional, and Connecticut partners who assisted over what he described as roughly 28 hours of coordinated effort.
Mateo was reunited with his family at their Moulton Hill Road home before being transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital as a precaution. Officials have not released further details on his condition, but authorities say there is no indication his disappearance involved any criminal activity.
The case drew wide attention online, with residents across western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut sharing the alert and offering to check their property. Local officials credited that community response, combined with the multi-agency search effort, with helping bring the search to a safe and successful conclusion.
