(LEX 18) — Kentucky's statewide alert system for missing children with autism and special needs was used for the first time this week, bringing both hope and heartache to the woman who helped lobby to create it.
"It was really a shock yesterday, cause that's the first one," Rhonda O'Brien told LEX 18 from her home in Lincoln County.
O'Brien is the grandmother of Ian Sousis, the 9-year-old boy whose death inspired the creation of the IAN Alert system in Kentucky.
"He loved Legos and Zelda," she said. "I mean, he beat that a couple of times. He was super smart and, he just loved being around people, and I miss him terribly," O'Brien said.
Ian, who had autism, died in 2022 when he left the Children's Home of Northern Kentucky and drowned in the Ohio River. He did not qualify for an Amber Alert because he was not abducted. O'Brien said Ian often wandered away from their home, which is why he was receiving in-treatment care.
The tragedy prompted O'Brien to help lobby for legislation creating a statewide system notifying Kentuckians when a child with autism or other special needs is missing and may be in danger. The bill, sponsored by Representative Candy Massaroni, became law in 2024.
"I hope it never has to be done again, but at least we'll be a little more prepared as a community," O'Brien said.
O'Brien was shocked to receive the first Ian Alert on Tuesday, which was issued for 5-year-old Silas Shearer in Hart County. She was saddened to later learn the child had died. Local authorities confirmed his preliminary cause of death was drowning.
"I know how the people down there feel. I know how it feels, you know. My heart goes out to them," O'Brien said.
She hopes this first-of-its-kind system will prevent future tragedies and save lives in honor of Ian.
"He wanted to be a superhero," she said. "That was his goal. He wanted to be Spider-Man and he wanted to save people and do good things. And he is doing good things, and he is gonna be a superhero," O'Brien said.
Water is especially dangerous for children with autism. According to the [http://Water Safety | Drowning Prevention - National Autism Association]National Autism Association, the risk of drowning is 160 times more likely than the general pediatric population. That's why it's so important to check nearby bodies of water when a child with autism is missing.
