MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A 4-year-old boy who had been reported missing from Bunche Park Elementary was found safe following what school district officials described as a case of mistaken identity.
Miami Gardens Police announced Ja’sryah Bostic had gone missing from Bunche Park Elementary School, in Miami Gardens, just before 4 p.m. Monday.
According to Bostic’s parents, when they showed up to the school to pick him up during dismissal at 1:50 p.m., he was not there.
“She brings another boy out here, so I’m like, ‘That’s not my son,'” said Patrick Bostic, the boy’s father. “She’s like, ‘Are you sure?’ I said, ‘Ma’am, that’s not my son.”
Patrick said he was told there was a mix-up, and his son had been taken to a day care provider when he wasn’t supposed to be.
“Mix up kids, how do you do that on the first day of school?” he said. “That’s not right.”
The after-care facility Ja’sryah was taken to is located at a community center in Opa-locka, about two miles way from Bunche Park Elementary.
Opa-locka Police Chief James Dobson said a private company brought the story to the center but can’t provide any additional statements because the after-care is not associated with the city.
The father said he did not know where his son was for nearly two hours.
A Miami-Dade County Public Schools spokesperson confirmed the child was found safe soon after.
7Skyforce hovered above the entrance to the school as father and son were reunited next to a police cruiser.
Ja’sryah’s father said he was relieved and thrilled to have his son back.
M-DCPS officials said the boy’s disappearance stemmed from a miscommunication on the school’s part. They released a statement that reads in part, “A thorough review of procedures is underway and, upon its conclusion, disciplinary actions toward employees may be taken if warranted.”
Patrick said, while Bunche Park Elementary may be a good school, he’s concerned by the staff’s actions on the first day of classes.
“This school is supposed to protect kids, period, and they’re not doing that,” he said.
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