Crime & Safety

UPDATED: Autistic Teen Missing From Lake Elsinore

UPDATE AT 10 P.M.: Eric Ortiz, 18, of Lake Elsinore has been found safe. He was spotted Monday around 9:30 p.m. after a concerned citizen called the Riverside County sheriff’s dispatch and said he believed the teen was inside the Regency Movie Theater in the city of Perris.  

"Perris Police officers arrived, and with the help of the concerned citizen, located Eric.  Eric was in good health and was safely returned to his family," according to a report from Lt. Zachary Hall of the Lake Elsinore Sheriff's Station.

"The Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station would like to thank the concerned citizen who called and reported Eric’s location, the Riverside County search dogs and the Riverside County sheriff’s helicopter team that assisted in this search," Hall said.

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ORIGINAL POST: An 18-year-old Lake Elsinore man who has the mental alertness of a 5-year-old has been reported missing and police are seeking the public’s help to find him.

Eric Ortiz left his home on Olive Street and headed toward Diamond Drive Monday around 12:30 p.m. and has not been seen since.

Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing about 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, dark blue jeans and black Fila tennis shoes, according to a sheriff’s report.

“Eric is known to frequent local shopping areas, movie theaters and the lake. The last time he went missing, he was located on the I-15 Freeway,” according to a report from Lt. Zachary Hall of the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station.

The sheriff’s department and Eric’s mother are requesting the community’s help to locate him, Hall said. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the sheriff’s dispatch at (951) 776-1099, or Lt. Zachary Hall at (951) 445-7951.

 


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