‘His death will not have been in vain’ – support builds for ‘Avonte’s law’ | Al Jazeera America

In the weeks and months after he went missing, Avonte Oquendo’s name became increasingly well-known to New York commuters. The 14-year-old autistic teen’s disappearance led to one of the largest search campaigns in the recent history of the city. Subway conductors repeatedly reminded commuters of his details, and volunteers plastered fliers with a photo of his face all over the city.

Eventually, his remains were found in the East River in Queens, not far from his school, where a guard let him leave the building unsupervised. The teen had either run away or simply wandered off — behavior that nearly half of all autistic children engage in.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., intends to do something about the circumstances that led to Avonte’s death. Schumer announced Sunday that he will introduce legislation, “Avonte’s law,” that would create a program to provide voluntary tracking devices for families with children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other developmental issues in which bolting from caregivers is common, according to a statement.

‘His death will not have been in vain’ – support builds for ‘Avonte’s law’ | Al Jazeera America