Madison Heights celebrates rescue of missing child

MADISON HEIGHTS — Community members in Madison Heights recently celebrated a successful search operation for a 6-year-old nonverbal autistic boy who had gone missing. Meanwhile, a local man and his family are being hailed as heroes for their part in the rescue, with a GoFundMe set up to cover related damages to their home.

There will also be a celebratory event from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25 at Fire Station No. 1, located at 31313 Brush St. in Madison Heights, where everyone is invited to enjoy time together with city officials and first responders.

At the City Council meeting Feb. 9, Madison Heights Police Chief Brent LeMerise recounted the dramatic scene that unfolded when the boy — who is not being named at this time out of respect for his family’s privacy — disappeared from his home in the 28000 block of Hales Street around 3:30 p.m. Feb. 1.

“Many times, these calls resolve quickly, with the family member or officer locating the child nearby. This one, however, unfolded into an unimaginable scenario,” LeMerise said. “As the situation developed, more road patrol officers responded. Minutes turned into hours, and the first responders’ presence grew.”

The effort swelled with nearly 30 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. The chief said that a mobile command post, established at Madison Elementary, was flooded with so much activity that the night sky looked like daytime due to all the lights.

“Helicopters, drones, thermal imagers, search and rescue teams, and K-9s were all searching (for the boy),” LeMerise said. “Our dispatchers managed constant radio traffic and phone calls, fielding just about every imaginable tip. Detectives canvassed and conducted interviews, searching for any shred of a lead. Literally hundreds of officers and firefighters systematically worked block by block, yet there was not a single sighting.

“At this point, (the boy) had been missing for nearly eight hours, in subzero temperatures, possibly without gloves,” LeMerise said. “It was time to address the media and make a direct appeal to the community, asking residents to check their own properties … on the off chance a door had been unlocked.”

Word spread quickly on social media. Madison Heights City Councilwoman Emily Rohrbach said she was notified by a member of the boy’s family while she was at a restaurant.

“I’m close friends with this family… We live close by,” Rohrbach said. “I called my husband and said our buddy — this kid we know and love — is missing, so please go and look. And I have one of those cameras on my door, and I saw my son run out the door without even putting on his coat … and immediately start looking.”

While Rohrbach’s husband called her son back inside to bundle him up, so they could all go looking together, Rohrbach was driving back home, scouring the streets for any sign of the boy.

She saw a neighbor arrive home and told her what happened, and the next time Rohrbach drove by, she saw the same neighbor getting in a car to search for the child herself.

“I started spreading the word and people started looking,” Rohrbach said. “People just dropped what they were doing. People walking their dogs stayed out and kept going. Thank God I had been out shoveling my parents’ walk (earlier that day); I had already put on a snow suit, so I was warm staying out.”

The boy was ultimately found late that night in a house on Couzens Avenue, not far from his own home. The boy had been wandering outside and had entered the neighbor’s house through an unlocked side door. Nobody was home.

“(The boy had) made himself comfortable, much like Macaulay Culkin in ‘Home Alone.’ He had found the finest amenities within, including toys in a tub,” LeMerise said.

That’s where La’Bron Brinkley, his wife and children found the boy when they returned home after being out all day. Their family dog, a pit bull, had been patiently watching the boy and keeping him safe as he splashed in the tub. Brinkley contacted authorities immediately, and his family stayed with the boy until help arrived to assess his condition and get him home.

“To Mr. Brinkley, thank you for providing a warm, safe place for (the boy) to wait until he was discovered,” LeMerise said, presenting Brinkley with a certificate of recognition. “I know his family will forever be grateful.”

Brinkley was deeply moved as the audience applauded him.

“It really means a lot,” Brinkley said. “I’ve just never seen an entire community come together the way that they did. … To be a part of that, I’m so glad and I’m honored. Thank you for your support. Thank you again — I’m speechless.”

Madison Heights City Councilmember Quinn Wright said Brinkley “is a good person, period, full stop,” and he showed appreciation for Brinkley’s dog, as well, noting the dog “had the sense what to do for that child, and what that child needed.”

However, the Brinkleys now have a problem of their own. While the boy was playing in the tub, the water overflowed, causing extensive damage. Furniture was damaged, and many personal belongings were lost. After the council meeting, Brinkley said that his family is currently displaced from their home while it undergoes remediation and renovations.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to cover the cost: gofundme.com/f/help-the-brinkleys-recover-from-water-damage.

Officials urged everyone to do their part to help.

“It was a blessing that (the boy) found his way into the home of a Christian man,” said Toya Aaron, a member of the Madison Heights City Council, noting that she was notified by friends who attend the same church as Brinkley. “This man was God-sent.”

She also praised the community.

“This is what love is,” Aaron said. “We set aside every other difference, and we looked for this young baby as if he was our very own. … I am so thankful and grateful to be part of this city.”