Breaking: A neighbor’s security camera just revealed Bryan walking barefoot toward the flooded street at 6:33 AM — and what followed seconds later may explain everything
NEW ORLEANS — It’s been nearly a week since 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez went missing from his New Orleans home, and his family is still searching for Bryan and answers.
Before the sun came up on Thursday, Bryan left his home alone. Around 5:20 a.m., he was seen on a security camera about a block from his house. By 5:28 a.m., Ring video obtained by our newsroom shows Bryan just a few blocks away, walking up to a home on Toulon Street. Police say he was then seen again at 6:30 a.m. on a home security camera about five blocks away near a canal.
His mother, Hilda Vasquez, says she realized he was missing around 10 a.m. and called 911. According to data obtained by our newsroom, a 911 call matching the description of Bryan’s case came in at 10:20 a.m. It shows that NOPD wasn't dispatched until nearly five hours later at 3:05 p.m. The record states they arrived one minute later at 3:06 p.m.
Family and friends have been critical of the police response time.
They’ve also been calling for an AMBER Alert to be issued. According to the Louisiana State Police, AMBER Alerts “require specific criteria to be activated.” The agency says it follows the Department of Justice guidelines.
The DOJ guidelines state: “AMBER plans require law enforcement to confirm an abduction prior to issuing an alert.”
In addition, all of the following criteria must be met:
- There is a reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred.
- The law enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
- There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child.
- The abduction is of a child aged 17 years or younger.
- The child’s name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system.
Family and friends say there should be another kind of alert for missing children with autism, like Bryan.
“There is a Silver Alert and an AMBER Alert — they say he doesn’t qualify. There are so many children that wander, and we will ask and we will push to have some type of 1 a response team for children with autism.”
In the meantime, they say they’re holding on to hope.
When our newsroom reached out to NOPD on Tuesday, the department said in part: “We understand the family’s anguish and are reviewing all aspects of the response internally.”
We followed up on Wednesday in hopes of getting more information, but they have not responded.