Muhammad Sakho: Missing 10-year-old left school moments after being dropped off
Pennsylvania State Police are searching for a 10-year-old boy who was last seen outside a Philadelphia elementary school on Monday morning.
Muhammad Sakho: Missing 10-year-old left school moments after being dropped off
Pennsylvania State Police are searching for a 10-year-old boy who was last seen outside a Philadelphia elementary school on Monday morning.https://taongafarm.com/en/landings/gp/53
Pennsylvania State Police on Monday night issued a Missing Endangered Person Advisory for 10-year-old Muhammad Sakho.
Investigators said Muhammad was last seen in the area of Penrose Elementary School around 8 a.m. Monday morning.
They added that Muhammad "may be at special risk for harm or injury."
Captain Joseph Busa outlined what detectives know so far in the search for Muhammad Sakho, starting when he was dropped off at school by his father at 8 a.m.
Surveillance footage shows Muhammad, a 4th grader, walking into the school cafeteria shortly after being dropped off, then exiting the building a short time later.
"We are extremely concerned for his wellbeing," said Captain Busa, who added that the bitter cold temperatures have made the search for Muhammad more frantic.
A family member said the school believes Muhammad went inside, ate breakfast, and exited the building to play before school started, but never made it back inside.
The family said they weren't notified by the school of Muhammad's absence until after-school program around 4:30 p.m.
"We are worried sick," said a family member.
Missing Philadelphia boy found safe after last seen at school, police say
Police said Muhammad Sakho, 10, was found unharmed.
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Muhammad Sakho was last seen at Penrose Elementary School, at 78th Street and Buist Avenue in the Eastwick section of the city, shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday.
"Due to Muhammad being 10 years old and the extreme weather conditions, we are extremely concerned for his wellbeing," Capt. Joseph Busa of the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detective Division said. "We are using every resource available to us to get him home safely to his family."
Busa said surveillance video shows Muhammad was dropped off at Penrose by his father at 8:06 a.m., and two minutes later, the child is seen entering the cafeteria, where he and other children were served breakfast.
The cafeteria is in a separate wing of the building from the classrooms, and it doesn't appear Muhammad made it into the main school building after breakfast, Busa and Muhammad's family said.
"They just said after he ate breakfast, he just wandered off, he went to go outside to go play, and they stated that he just wandered outside, I guess, the little area where they play at after they ate breakfast. And then the camera, they couldn't see nothing else on camera," Muhammad's stepfather said.
Though Muhammad didn't make it to class in the morning, the family didn't get word that he wasn't in class until 4:30 p.m., when he didn't show for his after-school program. Muhammad is scheduled to stay at school until 6:30 p.m.
It's possible Muhammad's father received a notification from the school district sooner, but the relatives who appeared at the news conference — Muhammad's mother, aunt and stepfather — did not know that information.
Muhammad's mother said she wants her son to come home.
"Muhammad, if you see this and you're out there, please contact us if you're safe," she said. "You're not in trouble, there's nothing going on, you won't be hurt or anything, we love you and we miss you and we're all praying for your safe return."
"This is unlike him and his character; he's happy, he's a happy little kid," Muhammad's mother continued. "There's nothing concerning that I know of as of yet that would make me think he would want to run away."
The family is asking anyone who lives near the school and has any surveillance cameras to please check the footage for possible sightings of Muhammad.
