Police search for missing autistic 6-year-old Fawzan Hassan in Gaithersburg

As of Sunday evening, Fawzan was still missing, despite more than 100 police officers, firefighters and volunteers searching for him for 27 hours in and around Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg.

“Our goal is to find Fawzan and locate him safely,” Montgomery County Deputy Police Chief Nicholas Augustine said at a news conference on Sunday, asking the public for help.

“We have hope. He could be holed up and just scared,” said Montgomery County Police Officer Laurie Reyes, who specializes in working with families of autistic children and searching for missing children.

Fawzan, weighing 42 pounds, was last seen wearing a green shirt, blue jeans and white and silver sneakers.

Bohrer Park is bordered by residential areas to the southwest and southeast, Frederick Avenue to the northeast, and Gaithersburg High School to the northwest.

Police urged residents in the area to thoroughly search their property, including under porches and patios, as well as in unlocked cars and sheds.

Officials warned people not to approach the child because he may run away and to call 911 instead.

Missing autistic people are often drawn to bodies of water, Reyes said. Montgomery County Fire and Emergency Services searched ponds in the area on Saturday and Sunday, said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the agency.

Officers from the Montgomery County and Gaithersburg police departments, the Maryland State Police and the Maryland-National Capital Park Police Department helped with the search, officials said. Drones with infrared sensor technology flew over the area into the night.

Police officials urged residents to print a flyer for Fawzan’s missing child from police social media pages and post it in the Gaithersburg area. In stores, Augustine said, people should check changing rooms and toilets. Those driving should call the police if they see a small child sitting alone.

“We are asking everyone for help so that we can find Fawzan safely,” said Augustine.

Montgomery Police offered the following advice for dealing with non-speaking autistic children:

It’s important to approach them calmly and slowly. Avoid sudden movements or loud noises that might startle them. Speak in a gentle, soothing tone, even if the child doesn’t respond verbally. Non-verbal autistic children may not respond to their name, so try using other cues, such as visual signals or familiar objects, to get their attention.

The most important thing, according to the police, is to ensure the child’s safety and wait for the police to arrive.

For more information, contact the Autism/Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), Alzheimer’s and Dementia Outreach Unit.