Deputies in Seminole County are searching for a 12-year-old boy who has been missing since Saturday.
Investigators said Rasheen Middleton was last seen Saturday afternoon at his residence on Healing Place in Oviedo.
Because of his age, investigators said Rasheen could be endangered.
Rasheen was a resident of Boys Town Central Florida, an intervention and assessment center for troubled youth.
A supervisor on the property said the Department of Children and Families checked Rasheen in on Thursday and he left the facility Saturday.
“Staff reports that they were with him, they went to check on some other kids that were helping them put lunch together and Rasheen had left,” said Boys Town Executive Director Greg Zbylut. "He did not mention that he had any thoughts about leaving."
Community Based Care of Central Florida said Rasheen left a message with his case worker and asked for a call back, then disappeared from a back porch about 30 minutes later.
They said he walked outside to calm down after not getting hold of the case worker.
“To be honest with you, case workers do a heck of a job,” said Zbylut. “They’re in the lives of many kids and sometimes, you can’t get ahold of them just like you may not be able to get ahold of me.”
He said they have had older teenagers, usually in the 17-or 18-year-old range, walk away before, but it’s rare for this to happen with younger children.
“We want Rasheen to be found as quickly as possible. We want our community to be very conscious that there could be a young man out there,” said Zbylut.
He said there are no plans to make changes to the center.
"This is not a campus where we have locks or gates on doors," he said. "It's very family style. That helps kids became more comfortable. In this situation, it allowed Rasheen to leave more easily."
Rasheen is black, around 5 feet tall and 107 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a green T-shirt, long khaki pants and blue Nike sneakers, deputies said.
Anyone with information on Rasheen's whereabouts is asked to call 911 or contact the Seminole County Sheriff's Office Juvenile Justice Division.
Cox Media Group
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