Admiral family searching for missing autistic daughter

(5:30 PM MONDAY UPDATE: Police say Jordan has been found – more info here.)

missinggirl.jpg(ORIGINAL SUNDAY NIGHT REPORT) That’s a photo of missing West Seattle 14-year-old Jordan King, sent to WSB by her mom Paula, who has been handing out flyers near their Admiral home. Paula says Jordan has been missing since Thursday. In addition to being autistic, Paula says of Jordan, “She is homeschooled and has no memory for phone numbers so she could be very lost.” The family asks that you call 911 — they of course filed a police report, so there’s a record in the system — if you have any idea where Jordan might be. (Her description: 5-2, 138 lbs., dark-brown hair, hazel eyes, last seen in light-pink pants, black tank top, black tennis shoes, black hoodie.)

19 Replies to "Admiral family searching for missing autistic daughter"

  • miws March 16, 2008 (5:42 pm)

    Would Jordan have been likely to board a Metro Bus? If so, it might be worthwhile to contact Metro and expand the search beyond the WS area.

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    Best of luck to Jordan’s family in finding her.

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    Mike

  • I Heart Jiggers! March 16, 2008 (5:49 pm)

    Painful and frightening. We’ll be looking out for her! Thank you for posting.

  • k March 16, 2008 (6:14 pm)

    please keep us posted if there is ANYTHING we can do to assist the family. thoughts and prayers.

  • Christi March 16, 2008 (11:11 pm)

    We will be looking out for her. We will keep prayers going. What are her favorite things, Alki etc…

  • Arlene March 17, 2008 (7:51 am)

    I am heading out to do errands this morning and will keep a close eye out for her. And I will keep her family in my thoughts and prayers. I heard this on the radio and I’m grateful to the WS Blog for posting the picture.

  • miws March 17, 2008 (11:15 am)

    The news of this story of concern is getting out there, thanks to this great Blog. The P-I online had an article, and KOMO TV 4 just ran a bit on it with the pic. Both credited WSB.

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    Mike

  • WSB March 17, 2008 (11:30 am)

    KING too – they texted us late last night asking if it was ok to repurpose the photo. And in the meantime, a couple citywide media orgs have called asking for Jordan’s mom’s number – we checked with her and she said it was OK to give to them, so hopefully they’ll have interviews/longer stories for the evening news. But the best part is the reader angle here – Jordan’s family apparently didn’t know about WSB, but a couple people who saw them handing out flyers told them about us, so then they sent us the photo and we were able to post it here. Hope a happy ending ensues.

  • Rockergirl March 17, 2008 (12:21 pm)

    Is this not a situation where they should put out an AMBER ALERT for her? Even though they do not know if she has been abducted it would get the word out alot faster about her disappearance and might help find her faster. Definitely something that should be considered as an option to help in the search for her. I am praying for her safe return and hopefully soon.

  • Elizabeth March 17, 2008 (12:22 pm)

    As the grandmother of a grandson with Autism I am wondering about a few more things? Is she preoccupied with particular actitivies – things that might attract her, lead her to gravitate to them, and hence something that the public should be more aware of and looking for? How impaired is she? It says has no memory for numbers, but is she able to carry on a conversation, give the impression of being “normal”, or is this someone who will be avoiding public interactions, and may not be likely to frequent a public area?

    What kind of non-home activities has she been exposed to? Does she go to malls, Downtown, parks, etc.?

    Where was she last seen? Are there natural areas in her neighborhood and is she drawn to them, are they places that people perhaps should be checking out, concentrating on?

    Has she ever done this before, even for a brief time, and if so where was she found that time?

    Autism children are not totally unaware of their surroundings and do have things which they are attracted to, and it is not like they don’t have a mind and are totally out of it. They can formulate and conceal plans so it is difficult especially once they are bigger people to account for their inclinations; it is not like they are necessarily big on communicating either. But their caregivers know their predilections, and at this point any privacy issues should perhaps give way to full disclosures which can help the public to help find this girl.

    Are there some leads that we should know or ? Time is of the essence in these cases as we well know, so more info might be in order.

  • WSB March 17, 2008 (12:32 pm)

    Unfortunately Amber Alert policy is somewhat unhelpful in cases like this – there has to be evidence that the child has been taken (such as, someone seeing it happen) or is in imminent danger. Frustrating in cases like this, to be sure.

  • Aidan Hadley March 17, 2008 (1:06 pm)

    I must admit that the details from the family on the initial post seemed a bit slim. Characterizing this young woman as autistic, it seemed to suggest that she had disappeared by some mishap and was potentially lost and disoriented. Now it seems they’ve clarified that she has Asperger’s Syndrome, a very mild form of Autism, and that she ran away from home in reaction to a dispute with her parents. I have no doubt her family would like to have her back. And I can’t blame them for wanting to maintain a bit of privacy despite asking for help. But I cannot help but feel a bit manipulated about how this was initially presented.

  • Angela March 17, 2008 (1:20 pm)

    Although I have not seen Jordan in several years, I do know her. She is totally able to keep conversation and communicate with others. She did have a very trusting and not at all shy attitude towards people, including strangers. I hope she comes home safely.

  • WSB March 17, 2008 (1:36 pm)

    It was presented as “our daughter is missing.” What you saw in my original post was what I knew. Just to be clear, there was no intimation of kidnapping, evidence of foul play, etc. Most of these cases do turn out to be runaway situations, but a 14-year-old on the streets is a 14-year-old on the streets, regardless of how she got there. Also, regarding Asperger’s Syndrome, of which I have detailed knowledge fwiw, yes, it’s considered “high-functioning autism” but one of its hallmarks is that your social skills are extremely poor and that puts kids with Asperger’s at high risk in many social situations — they don’t interact the same way “neurotypicals” do, nor do they pick up on signals, clues, hints as to people’s true motives — and can be way too naive and trusting as a result, which dramatically increases the danger in a situation like this.

  • Maddy March 17, 2008 (1:54 pm)

    Does she have a RescueSync account that someone can call if she needs help? My family uses one for my cousin and it is a great help when he can’t give out any information, but you have to set it up before something like this happens. The site is rescuesync.com I think its a few bucks a month but well worth it when you need it. Our prayers are with you.

  • TeaLady March 17, 2008 (2:11 pm)

    Thank you for the information, WSB. I certainly hope and pray that she is safe and back with her family as soon as possible. I will certainly keep an eye out in my travels. Please keep us updated!

  • Blue March 17, 2008 (2:32 pm)

    I saw a girl matching Jordan’s description in the Westwood Village Target on Friday. The girl I noticed was playing video games in that part of the store. I’m not sure if it was her or not — but it’s something. I contacted the police and let them know. FYI, my reciept is dated 3/14 @ 5:22pm. If it’s not her, then at least that’s one lead down.

    I’ll keep my eyes open and pray for the best.

  • WSB March 17, 2008 (5:26 pm)

    Anyone who hasn’t heard yet, we have posted at the top of the home page – Jordan was found safe and sound a short time ago at the White Center Library. Police say a librarian recognized the photo because she/he saw it here on WSB. Good job, everyone, for keeping an eye out, and hooray for a happy ending.

  • laura sierra March 17, 2008 (9:22 pm)

    thank goodness! i was worried about her.i kept my eyes peeled, just in case. glad to know she’s ok.

  • Lori March 21, 2008 (3:25 am)

    We’ve been praying for the safe return of Jordan here in Boise, Idaho. We’re glad to know she is home safe. Prayers were answered!

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