An 11-year-old boy who was the subject of a Mobile Police Department alert Wednesday afternoon has been found safe, police said.
The Alert
The department issued a news release Wednesday, Sept. 2, asking for the public’s help in locating the boy, identified as Dontae Chapman.
According to the release, he was last seen in the area of Pine Knoll Road and Trailwood Drive East around 3 p.m. that day. Police described him as approximately 4 feet 11 inches tall and 112 pounds, wearing a grey school shirt and khaki pants at the time he was last seen.
The department asked anyone with information about his whereabouts to call 251-208-7211.
Found Safe
Police subsequently reported that the boy had been located and was safe. The department did not release details about where or how he was found.
Why These Alerts Move Quickly
Public alerts for missing children are issued early and withdrawn quickly once a child is located, which is why the resolution often follows the initial notice within hours.
The time immediately after a child is reported missing is when public awareness is most useful — a description circulating in the neighborhood where the child was last seen is more likely to produce a sighting than the same description circulating a day later, across a wider area.
Residents who see an alert like this one can help most simply by reading the description carefully and calling the number provided if they believe they have seen the person. Sharing the alert within the immediate area, rather than broadly, tends to be the most useful form of amplification.
Reporting a Missing Person in Mobile
There is no waiting period to report a missing person in Alabama, and that is particularly true where a child is involved. Anyone concerned about a missing child in Mobile can contact the Mobile Police Department directly at 251-208-7211 or call 911 in an emergency.
With the boy found safe, the department’s request for public assistance has been closed.