Broken Arrow Man Finds Missing Developmentally Disabled Teen

A Broken Arrow man on his way home from work found a missing boy police had been looking for, for hours.

Thursday, September 11th 2014, 6:09 pm

By: Dave Davis

Broken Arrow Man Finds Missing Developmentally Disabled Teen

A Broken Arrow man on his way home from work found a missing boy police had been looking for, for hours.

It started at the South Slope Apartments, behind Reasor's at 71st and Sheridan. Tulsa Police said 14-year-old Christopher Perry, who is developmentally disabled, walked away from his family's apartment around 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

9/11/2014 Related Story: Tulsa Police: Missing, Developmentally Disabled Teen Found Safe

Tulsa Police used their helicopter, K9 units, and dozens of officers to try and find the teen, and for hours they came up with nothing.

About 12 hours into the search is where the 21-year-old Mason Mullings came in. He said after he asked to go home sick from work, he went to the Walmart at Kenosha and Aspen in Broken Arrow and saw a teenage boy he recognized from the news.

"I got out, went up to him, talked to him asked him his name, see what was going on. I asked him his name, and sure enough it was Christopher Perry,” Mullings said.

He asked Christopher if he wanted to hang out in his car to keep warm and then he called police to tell them he found who they were looking for.

While they were waiting for police, Christopher revealed he had walked there and spent part of the night sleeping on a bus stop bench. He also told Mullings he went to the Walmart.

"I said 'Did you get anything?' He's like 'No, I was just seeing what they had.' I was like 'That's cool, that's cool,'" Mullings said.

Christopher had walked well over 5 miles overnight. The Broken Arrow officers who picked him up said they are glad that Mullings found him.

"It's my understanding that the young man we found has some diminished capacity, so we're really grateful that somebody found him and didn't try to take advantage of the situation,” BAPD Officer Chad Burden said. Mullings said.

"I don't know. I don't know if I'm a hero, I was just trying to get him home safely," Mullings said.

He said the Broken Arrow Police were there within 20 minutes and took him back to the station so TPD could verify that he was Christopher Perry.

They took Christopher back to his family and more than 13 grueling hours later, the family had a happy ending.