After police allegedly uncovered a drug lab in his home, the father of a youngster who went missing after having a “bad day” at school has been detained.
The kid was discovered after going missing in Sydney’s Hills District the previous afternoon and spending the night in freezing 4C temps.
When cops went to deliver the good news to the 28-year-old about 10.40 a.m. on Thursday when they allegedly discovered a concealed room in his apartment with a hydroponic setup.
The father was detained and is being held in custody, but no charges have been filed as of yet.
Just before 9:30 a.m., a member of the public observed his 11-year-old son strolling along Annangrove Road near Joylyn Road.
The kid was freezing after staying overnight outside, but on Thursday morning, he was helped by police and given food.
‘He was assessed at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics and despite being out in the cold all night, he had no visible injuries,’ police said.
The student was transferred to the hospital for additional examination, and plans were made to return him to his family.
The boy had a particularly ‘bad day at school’ on Wednesday before he went missing, according to reports.
The 11-year-old had not been seen since 4.45 p.m. on Wednesday when he was last seen strolling along Annangrove Road towards Rouse Hill in Sydney’s north-west, over two hours after getting off the school bus on the same road.
On Wednesday evening, officers, 15 SES personnel, and PolAir made an exhaustive search of the region as temperatures dropped to just four celsius.
At 8 a.m. on Thursday, a multi-agency search began, with local police, the Police Rescue Squad, PolAir, and SES members combing the area for clues.
Superintendent Darrin Batchelor said the boy’s worried parents contacted police after their kid failed to return home on Wednesday afternoon.
He told reporters on Thursday morning that ‘His family are extremely distressed, particularly as the temperatures overnight have been quite cold,’ he told reporters on Thursday morning.
He added that ‘They’ve had a really rough night and have been out looking overnight.’
While police have stated that his disappearance is out of character, they have also stated that they do not suspect any wrongdoing.
A large number of sightings were reported to Crime Stoppers, although they were most likely other students on their way to and from school.
To piece together the boy’s movements, police investigated his public transportation Opal card details and got in touch with his extended family and friends.
On Wednesday, a geo-text was sent to residents in the area.
The message was not a hoax, police said, and they appealed for any information on the boy’s locations.
He has an Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, stands around 120 centimeters tall, has a slender body, short brown hair, and brown eyes.