Rock Springs Police Search for Missing Person…

Update: As of 6:30 p.m. Sunday evening, the child had been found and was in the hands of law enforcement.

A 7-year-old boy who went missing in Rock Springs Sunday afternoon is not considered a runaway, local police say.

The Rock Springs Police Department sent out a statement early Sunday evening asking for the public's help in locating Leo Ressler, a 7-year-old autistic boy.

Ressler was last seen wearing a white shirt and gray shorts, and in the area of ​​F Street and Lincoln Park, the statement said.

“If you see him or have information on his whereabouts, please call the Rock Springs Police Department at 307-362-6575 and reference the number R24-19144,” the statement added.

RSPD Public Information Officer Elizabeth Coontz was on his way to the incident command post during a telephone interview Sunday evening with Cowboy State Daily.

“We just know that he's not a runaway,” she said, adding that he has high levels of autism and is nonverbal. “We're looking at it more as a missing and endangered person situation.”

An update from the department says anyone who finds the child should call RSPD but not approach him. He was last seen at 4 p.m. Sunday, walking east near Eastside Elementary School.

Clair McFarland can be contacted at [email protected].