GTA mom questions how non-verbal child was able to board bus, GO train alone

Valerie Loewen panicked when she woke in early April to find her 9-year-old son William had left their Milton, Ont., house by himself.

William is autistic and non-verbal, and on April 2 he managed to evade the family's fail safes to keep him inside the house, possibly by getting out a back door. 

Loewen's husband immediately started searching for William while she contacted police. William, they would later learn, had gotten onto a Milton city bus, and then a GO Transit train bound for Toronto. 

Peel Regional Police officers co-ordinated with Halton police and brought William home several hours later, but the situation has left Loewen shaken and looking for answers.

"There's no reason he should have gotten any farther than the bus stop, and I just don't want that to happen again to him or to any other child or vulnerable person," Loewen told CBC Toronto. 

Loewen, as well as the Ontario Autism Coalition, say the incident shows the importance of watching out for vulnerable people in the community. Meanwhile, town and transit officials say they are both looking into what happened. 

Loewen said she was told William was found by a GO staff member who identified him as a child who should not be alone on the train.

For its part, Metrolinx confirmed in a statement that when the child boarded a train at the station, they were immediately reported as unaccompanied by its customer service ambassador and a Metrolinx customer protective officer was dispatched.

"The officer stayed with the child to ensure their safety and coordinated with Halton Regional Police Services to ensure the child was safely reunited with their parent," the statement said.

Loewen has more questions for the Town of Milton. She said she felt dismissed in her communication with transit and political officials in the weeks following the incident.

Tony D'Alessandro, the town's director of transit services, said the town understands the seriousness of the situation but can't share details, citing privacy.

"The town contracts its Milton Transit service to a third-party provider, which has protocols in place to help ensure the safety of all riders, including children and vulnerable individuals," D'Alessandro said in a statement.

"We are working closely with the service provider to address any gaps and take appropriate action as required."

'It breaks my heart that people couldn't care that day'

Autistic people have a tendency to run away, said Bruce McIntosh, director of the Ontario Autism Coalition.

He said it's something he experienced when his own kids were young.

"This is autism, there's often just a lack of understanding of danger. So it's up to the rest of us," he said.

Loewen's panic was justified, he said, as autistic people have died after going missing.

While Loewen was hoping for more compassion and accountability from officials, she ultimately hopes that sharing her story results in more people paying attention to those who might be vulnerable around them.

"It breaks my heart that people couldn't care that day or stop for five minutes of their day to help keep him from getting too far or, God forbid, worse," she said.

"Even if just one person sees this and it changes the way they respond next time, that's all I want to see."