ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – An O’Fallon, Missouri, mother is desperately trying to find her 14-year-old son, who she said escaped with two other juveniles from the Missouri Hills Youth Center Tuesday.
St. Louis County police said there’s an active search for three juveniles.
Stacy Breeding, who did not wish to go on-camera, said her son has been at the center since Saturday.
“I had received a phone call Tuesday evening informing me that my son, along with two other juveniles, had ran from the facility. And, as of today, they still have yet to be found,” she said.
Breeding said her son has asthma.
“My number one concern: he does not have his asthma medication. He has a preventative to take daily, and that was actually, he was just prescribed a stronger medication because he had been having too many exacerbations,” she said.
Breeding said she planned to get in her car and drive around to try and find him.
“What happens if he has an asthma attack and these other boys, they have no idea what to do. Are they going to leave him? Are they going to get help for him?” she said.
FOX 2 reached out to the center, a state-run Division of Youth Services detention facility. A representative said they cannot provide specific details due to confidentiality laws.
They said in a statement:
…the safety of youth in the care of the Division of Youth Services and communities are paramount and the Department of Social Services works closely with law enforcement to safely locate runaway youth. The Division of Youth Services also reviews events with facility staff to improve and strengthen the program and to support identified needs to increase the safety of all.
-Heather Dolce, Communications Director, Missouri Department of Social Services
The center had a similar issue in February, when three other juveniles escaped.