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The 14-year-old was last seen leaving his home near SE Black Nugget Road Oct. 31
Police are trying to locate a 14-year-old Issaquah boy who has been missing for about two weeks.
Michael was last seen leaving his home near the 23200 block of Southeast Black Nugget Road at about 3 p.m. on Oct. 31, according to a runaway report issued by Issaquah Police Department (IPD).
He was wearing a black jacket with gold sweatpants. Michael is Black, weighs approximately 110 pounds and stands 5 feet and 5 inches tall. He has black hair and brown eyes.
According to the report, Michael frequents the Issaquah Highlands neighborhood and has “recently been reported to be traveling by the public transit system.” Michael’s destination is unknown, the report states, but he packed a change of clothes and an extra bag on his way out.
If located, IPD is asking the public to call the non-emergency line at 425-837-3200.
Michael’s mom, who asked to remain anonymous, said in a phone call she reported her son missing to IPD at about 7 p.m. on Oct. 31. She said the family is omitting his last name to protect Michael’s privacy. She added that her son is not a frequent bus rider.
Michael is an eighth grader at Issaquah Middle School, according to his mom. She described him as an avid reader who loves mystery and fantasy books, especially the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
“You put a good book in his hand, he’ll get lost in it,” she said.
Michael is huge on learning how to do things on his own, his mom said, adding he loves basketball and has become a “pretty decent little chess player.” Michael participated in chess tournaments through ChessKids.
His mom said she speaks daily with the detective IPD assigned to Michael’s case.
IPD Public Information Officer Alex Helms said Michael’s case was entered into the National Crime Information Center database, making it visible to officers nationwide who search for his name.
“If we are the agency that entered the person into the database, like in this instance, we are notified when they have been contacted so we can have them removed,” Helms said.
Helms said Michael’s case is classified and reported as a juvenile runaway missing person instead of someone who is believed to be missing against their will.
“Juvenile runaways are someone under the age of 18 who left their residence without adult permission on their own accord and have not returned,” he said. “The concern is the longer the juvenile is gone, the more danger they are of being a victim of a crime.”
The Issaquah Spotlight is an independent, community-funded digital newspaper. For more information, visit issaquahspotlight.org.
