MACCLENNY, Fla. – The search is on for an 8-year-old boy with autism who was last seen Saturday afternoon.
A Florida Missing Child Alert has been issued for Peyton Kyler Blodgett, 8, who was last seen about noon Saturday on S. State Road 121 in Macclenny.
Baker County Police said Peyton was visiting his grandmother and her boyfriend for the weekend.
Police said around 12 p.m. Peyton's grandmother and her boyfriend were cleaning up outside the house while Peyton and his 5-year-old sister were in the house. When the couple came back inside Peyton was gone.
Investigators called in help from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, with its officers and K-9 units on the ground and helicopters up above in the search.
The sheriff said Peyton is low-functioning autistic. Police don't believe he could have gotten far. When News4Jax asked the sheriff if this could be suspicious in any way, he was hesitant to answer and said the family is being questioned.
Peyton has not been found as of 10:30 p.m. Saturday. The FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Missing Persons Department took over the search Saturday night. They will search until local officials return Sunday morning.
The Jacksonville Dive Team will be arriving to the scene at 7 a.m. Sunday to search two nearby ponds. More K-9 units will be brought to the scene. The Baker County Sheriff's Office will also return to the search area at 7 a.m. Sunday.
Peyton was wearing blue jeans, a blue shirt with "Daytona" written on the front and black tennis shoes.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Baker County Sheriff's Office at 904-259-2861 or FDLE at 1-888-FL MISSING.