AMBER ALERT TN - Autistic teen Sebastian Wayne Drake Rogers, 15, missing in Hendersonville - Feb 27, 2024

[JudiK]

First, thank god for Websleuths and all the social media support. This case was going NOWHERE until it hit social media. Do we know who saw him last and when- other than mom and step father? I feel like something is wonky in her recounting of her activity Sunday.

 

[CamilleBSP]

How I wish LE could get a transcript or even a recording of that call.
My .02 is that it's important.
Omo.

Afaik you can't do that if the phone wasn't wiretaped.

 

[Chimera]

First, thank god for Websleuths and all the social media support. This case was going NOWHERE until it hit social media. Do we know who saw him last and when- other than mom and step father? I feel like something is wonky in her recounting of her activity Sunday.

Check out post # 1,032 above on this page.
Out to visit relatives, and a niece ?
Plus some shopping , so they'd be on camera.

I'd bet money on it that LE checked this out.
Omo.

 

[CamilleBSP]

I'm bothered by the Amber Alert. If LE issued it truly thinking that someone had taken Sebastian and he was in danger--I get that. But, if they used the Amber Alert to give CP and KP a false sense of confidence that they were looking in a different direction--they did the wrong thing. MOO

The Amber Alert shouldn't be used as an investigative trick--it's a very important tool for alerting the public to a missing and endangered child. If it's used indiscriminately, it will eventually lose its draw and people will feel tricked and pay less attention to the alerts--or shut them off.

Again, this is all JMOO.

The police (? -- I'm not sure who said it, would have to go back to the beggining of the thread) said they issued it because the weather was about to change and Sebastian took medications that he was missing from being away. The idea that he had been kidnapped was never mentioned, and you can see that from there not being any kind of car model & make or license plate indicated.

 

[abyquinn]

thank you for this! so outside witnesses can likely place him the day before reported missing. I agree, we would have probably heard if those witnesses provided by mom had not corroborated that.

I am rather shocked LE searched the landfill as I haven't found that to be SOP in a missing teen case, at least without some indication or lead causing them to think the missing person might have landed there.

the mother and stepfather puling p stakes and heading for the hills, cutting communication with Sebastian's dad, it's all painting a very worrisome picture for me. At least I can rest easy knowing Sebastian was seen by others outside the household on Sunday. There is comfort in that.

IIRC their Sanitation workers alerted LEOs that their garbage can was heavier than normal. They picked up in the very early hours on Monday.

I don’t understand their behavior, I know we all react differently to stress, but them refusing to communicate with Seth seems cruel to me. They have each other, until recently Seth was out searching and handing out flyers all alone. He and Sebastian have a small army now, I hope he is found soon and still hoping against hope that he is alive a
somewhere.

 

[CamilleBSP]

quick question as I haven't seen it answered. As with some many missing kid cases, do we know when Sebastian was seen by anyone outside the household? When I start to get hink from 'evolving' versions of the facts from the key players my mind always goes to how do I know that is when the missing person was really last seen?

It has been said time and time again that they were with family for that "supper" outing on Sunday night.

 

[investigatefred]

I've met two people in the last 4 months who spent hours at work on the phone with their significant other. One was a guy working on our cable box. He was carrying on a running convo with his wife on his airpods about nothing really, while occasionally speaking to me. The other was a UPS driver I chatted with at work. He also said he has his wife on an open line on his earbuds while he drives and delivers. I could never. But apparently that's how some people roll.

In the case of the Proudfoots, I would find it disturbing if there's routinely an open line between Sebastian's mom and step-dad, since it also leaves Sebastian's life on an open line. Imo, Chris always has an opinion and is always willing to tell you. If that's a regular practice for them, it could be disruptive of Sebastian's relationship with his mother. It would be, imo. It could cause significant stress for S. He may not have the communication skills at 15 to express how he felt about that. I wish an interviewer would ask Seth if Sebastian said anything about it.

I have a co-worker who does this with her spouse. She has her phone sitting on her desk all day, line open with the husband and they will randomly say things to each other throughout the day. In their case, I'm pretty sure it was because one had been unfaithful previously. So it's used as a means to know what they're doing when they are not physically together. It's definitely very odd to say the least. Maybe that's the situation here, but who knows. JMO

 

[CamilleBSP]

this is my educated guess but I think if we’re trying to determine where on the spectrum Sebastian is, I think he’s somewhere in the middle. Where he’s verbal and can generally express himself but also would have relative weaknesses in certain skills that would make him less independent than a typical 15 year old. JMO. MOO.

It's a spectrum, so there's no "middle".

More than that, a person can be completely normal in some regards and struggle with others, which varies a lot between individuals. This makes it very hard to pinpoint a person on a single part of the spectrum.

Sebastian seems to me like a very pro-active and intelligent boy who, as me (and my also being on the spectrum), struggled a lot to make friends. But this doesn't mean he was less capable of xyz, necessarily. We can't tell just by looking at a few pictures of him or hearing the very few words from mom and step-dad about what he was like, IMHO. I think that what his dad says reflects better how he really is.

Edited to add missing words.

 

[carbuff]

Check out post # 1,032 above on this page.
Out to visit relatives, and a niece ?
Plus some shopping so they'd be on camera.

I'd bet money on it that LE checked this out.
Omo.

It's like they're deliberately saying, "Look! Everything is okay! See how normal we're being?"

 

[hatt3nca]

I know there are many following this thread with autistic children, some even from Tennessee.
I'm interested to know are any of you surprised that the Proudfoot's have no door chime on any of their doors.

My son is 10 now. He hasn't eloped since his toddler years (he was obsessed with getting up and trying to leave the house in the middle of the night when he was 3-4).

We still have chimes and cameras everywhere. We even have alarms on windows. Even if he doesn't elope in the traditional sense, he still goes outside in our yard without telling anyone. He has no sense of danger. We had to get him out of the road multiple times in a single hour over the weekend. He is also very, very drawn to water. He thinks he is a really strong swimmer when in reality he is just starting to learn. We have an above ground pool with a gated deck and locks. The locks do not deter him.

We also keep a 165-lb guard dog that will NOT stop alerting if that kid goes out the door without him....and I STILL worry all. the. time.

I actually air-tagged the inside of his sweatpants when I first saw Sebastian's case. He hates having the air tag, but no one can see it and it gives me a little bit of comfort that it is hidden on his person each day.

Long-winded, but I think you can see my point. I have a relatively low-risk ASD1 child (which I believe is Sebastian's diagnosis as well) and there is no amount of preparation that makes me feel at ease or safe about him. I will never stop thinking of ways to ensure no harm comes to him.

 

[jenbo1970]

If this is not allowed, I apologize, and please delete! Does anyone else (besides me) think this could possibly be a hoax that the mother orchestrated?

 

[investigatefred]

Its weird how different the mom and bio dad describe him. Makes me feel like there is some reason someone would want to make him seem more dependent. And the retention pond? We see a lot of very small autistic kids drawn to water and wander off. Like age 3-5 and often end up drowning tragically. It is really hard for me to see a 15 year old doing that type of thing but I don't have an autistic child so I don't know.

I honestly didn't know much about autism myself prior to this case, but have since read quite a bit about it. This is an older article, but I'd be interested to know updated statistics as well.

"Nearly half of all children with autism will run away and potentially go missing at least once before their 17th birthday, according to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Of those who run away, what clinicians call "eloping," many will be found dead."

Half of All Autistic Kids Will Run Away, Tragedy Often Follows

Nearly half of all children with autism will run away and potentially go missing at least once before their 17th birthday, according to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Of those who run away, what clinicians call 'eloping,' many will be found dead, often drowned.

abcnews.go.com

NCMEC also has more recent stats, and valuable information to help searchers when autistic children go missing. Many are drawn to water. If only we knew the WHY behind it.

Autism & Wandering

Children with autism go missing under a variety of circumstances. They may seek out small or enclosed spaces. They may wander toward places of special interest to them. Or they may try to escape overwhelming stimuli such as sights, sounds, surroundings or activities of others.

www.missingkids.org

 

[carbuff]

If this is not allowed, I apologize, and please delete! Does anyone else (besides me) think this could possibly be a hoax that the mother orchestrated?

I would not rule that out, though I can't say it occurred to me before you mentioned it. It would explain a lot, wouldn't it?

 

[aliciaJ87]

I would not rule that out, though I can't say it occurred to me before you mentioned it. It would explain a lot, wouldn't it?

I wonder if LE was able to check that rv before they took off?

 

[investigatefred]

Afaik you can't do that if the phone wasn't wiretaped.

There used to be apps that recorded calls that anyone could put on their phone. I used to actually have one on mine for business purposes until about a year ago when I was notified Google no longer allowed that particular app. As long as you're in a 1-party state, you can record any call. I'm doubting they had any such app, but they are out there. JMO

 

[investigatefred]

If this is not allowed, I apologize, and please delete! Does anyone else (besides me) think this could possibly be a hoax that the mother orchestrated?

I've thought about that aspect too, but can't imagine they'd want to be sued for the amount of wasted resources that have been utilized. I'm sure they would not get by unscathed if they did! Anything and everything is still on the table at this point. MOO

 

[Ray_of_hope]

AUTISTIC BOY SEBASTIAN ROGERS MISSING: NANCY QUESTIONS MOM & STEPDAD - Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

I did hear mom use a past tense when referring to SR at least once in the Nancy Grace video.

 

[hatt3nca]

Many are drawn to water. If only we knew the WHY behind it.

I talk a lot about my son but am on the spectrum myself (as is my father). I run our water bill up even now at 41 because I sit in a small bathroom and run the shower while just hanging out in there on the floor on my tablet. I try to stop but I can never go more than a few days without doing it. The sound of the water calms me and blocks out other noises that would normally overstimulate me to the point of a breakdown. Interestingly enough, this is an activity I ONLY seek out in the middle of the night (2-3 A.M. is the time I most often find myself in there).

I wonder if it has anything to do with that. The comfort of the sound/blocking out other things that overstimulate them (especially if they are drawn to natural bodies of water that may burble etc)

 

[tlcya]

I wonder if LE was able to check that rv before they took off?

very interesting question. probably not day of their exit for their impromptu camping trip, but I am sure they probably did search it if it was located on the property the day Sebastian was reported missing.

 

[Ray_of_hope]

Does anyone know when the Proudfoot's gave SR's snake away and to whom? Maybe if it was recent, SR is looking for it. Also, why didn't they just give it to his father, Seth? Pets are very special to children and the bond is great. I find that unforgivable really. MOO.