The 5-year-old Richmond, Indiana, boy who doesn’t talk went missing Monday from Crestdale Elementary School. He was on the playground and wandered into the woods behind the school while administrators said he was supposed to be under the supervision of a teacher and two teacher’s aides.
Cherie Bassett said it took nearly an hour for anyone to notice her son was missing, and that the school didn’t call her to say he was missing, nor when he was found.
“How is he so insignificant that for almost an hour, nobody new McCale was gone?” she said.
Administrators say the young boy was one of 10 children on the playground. It wasn’t discovered he was missing until the children returned to the classroom. McCale was found after walked into someone’s house nearby.
Bassett said she could tell something happened at school by her son’s appearance.
“His nose was all swelled. It looked like the hide was off of it. He was white as a sheet and he was filthy. And I’m like, McCale, what happened to you?” she said.
She later found out he had been wandering in the woods and missing for about 45 minutes.
Bassett said she is upset she wasn’t contacted and that a school nurse didn’t check out her son to make sure he was OK. The mother also said she wants someone to be held accountable.
Richmond schools Superintendent Betty Poindexter said the incident is under investigation and that possible disciplinary action may follow.
FIRST REPORT
An investigation is underway after a student wandered away from a playground.
Betty Poindexter, Richmond Schools Superintendent, said there was a young student outside on the playground with his teacher, two teacher assistants and 10 students. Poindexter said when they returned to the classroom, it was discovered a student was missing.
“What we have been doing since then is making sure that the student was found and that he was safe,” she said.
Poindexter said an investigation is ongoing and school officials are looking into possible disciplinary actions.