Teen reported missing near Lacey found safe, Sheriff’s Office says
Thurston County Sheriff’s Office reported Wednesday that a 16-year-old boy who went missing from the Regional Athletic Complex near Lacey on Tuesday night has been located and is safe.
Lt. Ray Brady told The Olympian that, while it originally appeared the boy had walked home alone, Brady was later told he had walked partway home and then was given a ride.
A local man who asked to remain anonymous reached out to The Olympian and said he found Georgeston wandering in the Evergreen Valley neighborhood at 6:20 a.m. while he was on his way to work.
“He said he was lost,” an email from the man reads. “I asked him where he lived and he said Olympia.”
The man said he offered Georgeston a ride to town, and was going to drop him off at a Safeway store, but that Georgeston eventually mentioned the name of the apartment complex where he lives. So, he took him there and dropped him off.
“It all worked out,” the man told The Olympian. “And I just feel really good.”
Georgeston moved to Olympia from the Marshall Islands about a month ago, speaks little English and is not likely to seek help from strangers, according to the sheriff’s office Facebook post announcing his disappearance.
Brady said Georgeston disappeared after playing basketball with family members at the RAC at Steilacoom Road Southeast and Marvin Road Southeast. He had gone to use the restroom before the family left for the evening. Prior to coming back from the restroom, Brady said, the family had to move the car because the park was closing at 10 p.m.
“After they moved the car, they attempted to locate him and couldn’t find him,” Brady said.
This story was originally published July 31, 2019 at 8:31 AM.
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