- James Martin Camacho from Washington state moved to Mexico with his father
- Within days of their arrival, the seven-year-old autistic boy vanished
- Local authorities issued an amber alert and found his shoes on a river bank
- His upset mother is homeless and says she let his father take him to his hometown of Juárez because she couldn’t provide for him
A seven-year-old autistic boy from Washington state vanished in Mexico and an amber alert has been issued in the area he disappeared in.
James Martin Camacho moved to Juárez, Mexico with his father, Hugo Camacho-Padilla, and his two siblings. Last Sunday, just days after they arrived in his father’s hometown, the boy vanished.
Padilla said he left little James with his grandmother while he went to a neighbor’s house, but within 10 minutes she called him to come home because James was gone.
Hugo Camacho-Padilla (left with missing son) took his children to live with him in Mexico. Within days of their arrival his son, James Martin Camacho (right, left) disappeared
Juárez police officer searches for James whose shoes were found on a nearby river bank
‘She called me to say she couldn’t find him,’ Padilla told Univision Seattle.
The concerned father said he searched the streets and went to the police- but so far there have been no signs of the boy other than his shoes which authorities found on a nearby river bank.
His mother, Teirasa Camacho, is currently homeless, and told KIRO7 that she let the children’s dad take them to his home in Mexico because she wasn’t able to care for them.
‘I didn’t want to let him go, but I let him take the kids down there because I figured it was the best thing for them because I can’t provide for them right now, and he can,’ Camacho said through tears.
James’ mother, Teirasa Camacho (left) is currently homeless and said she let the children’s father take the kids to Mexico because she couldn’t provide for them
His mother says he has wandered off by himself before and could have again, but she doesn’t believe he would have went into the river by on his own.
‘I don’t know how to explain it, it is your worst fear. I just want to find him and bring him home,’ she added.
More troubling, the boy is non-verbal, and Camacho fears he would just keep walking without communicating that he was in trouble if he wandered away.