On Wednesday, Oct. 14, former Westside student* returned home after being missing for three days.

The student’s friends were able to contact their mother and give her information about the student. The friends also encouraged the student to contact their mother, which helped them return home.

“It was a complete godsend that some of the kids that [they] contacted then contacted me to let me that [they were] alive,” the mother said. “The first 24 hours I had no contact [and] no information, so for all I knew, [they] had been taken. I would want to encourage teenagers and people that are friends of individuals that are in these types of situations…the best way to be a good friend to your friend is to let people know where they are.”

The mother of this student is grateful for his return and says the student is fine. Because of this experience, she now wants to help others in a similar situation.

“I feel like I need to take this situation, take something that was horrible and stressful and make something out of it,” the mother said.

She recommends the following resources: The Center for Search and Investigations for Missing Children, Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children or Your Life Your Choice.

The mother also encourages teenagers to have a person in their life that they can talk to if they feel like running away. She also wants people to realize running away doesn’t solve any problem and can instead create more problems.

*This student’s mother has requested that their identity remain unknown.