Avonte Oquendo: Remains May belong To Missing Autistic Teen

Avonte Oquendo vanished from Central Boulevard School on October 4, 2013. Although nobody saw him leave the building, surveillance footage revealed the 14-year-old left the school at around 12:30 pm. His disappearance was even more disturbing, as Avonte is autistic and unable to speak.

Authorities now believe they may have found the teen’s remains.

The search effort spanned several states and lasted more than three months. Although authorities offered a $95,000 reward and received more than 1,000 tips, no sign of the teen was found. As Avante is fascinated with the subway system, his family feared he was hopelessly lost.

Despite numerous false leads and a lack of new information, Avonte’s family never lost hope. They hosted at least one vigil, continued to pass out flyers, and took their search effort to social media.

As reported by Daily Dot, Avonte’s brother Danny spread the word through Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Facebook. His tireless work and determination brought national attention to the case. Unfortunately, Avonte Oquendo remained missing.

On Thursday evening at 7:17 pm, an unidentified teen discovered an arm along College Point in Queens. When authorities arrived, they found several other remains scattered throughout the shore. After conducting a thorough search, they recovered one arm, two legs, and a torso.

PIX 11 News reports the clothing on the body parts matches Avante’s size. Attorney David Perecman, who represents the family, confirmed the sizes were correct and said “that’s a troubling thing to hear.” The attorney said the family is aware that the remains were found. However, they have not been positively identified.

Perecman said the remains appear to have been in the water for some time. He said it is impossible to identify the remains or determine the cause of death without a thorough examination. The body parts were taken to Queens County Morgue for processing.

According to New York Daily News, investigators do not believe the body was dismembered prior to death. They said it appears that the body simply broke down as it decomposed.

Avante Oquendo’s mother has not lost hope. She refuses to believe the remains belong to her son until a positive identification has been made. She said her son was frightened of water and would not have approached the shore voluntarily.

Attorney Perecman said the family filed a $25 million lawsuit against the city. They accuse the school of failing to notice their son’s departure and waiting too long to notify authorities when the teen went missing.

Authorities have not released an official statement about the remains or the possibility that they belong to Avante Oquendo.