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Brooke Walker and Randall Jeppesen Reporting A seven-year old boy who was reported missing last night is now home, safe and sound. This morning, police found Gorge Teanongaeno walking down Redwood Road.
An officer noticed the boy walking down the street, crying and upset. He had slept over at a friend's house, which created a long night of worry for both the parents and police. But everyone agrees, it couldn't have ended any better.
Seven-year old Gorge wiped away the tears as a police officer finally showed him home.
Police say last night, the boy was playing at an elementary school, located just a few blocks away from his house. It started to get dark. Gorge realized his bike had a flat tire and he wasn't exactly sure how to get back home, so he decided to spend the night at a nearby friend's house.
But his parents had no clue where he was.
Sylvano Teanongaeno, Gorge's father: "We started to look and couldn't find him."
After searching for nearly an hour, the family called police. The situation did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert, but authorities did contact the national organization "A Child is Missing."
Just before 1:00 am, they called neighbors in the area and played a recorded message: Police in Utah have used this alert system for about a year.
While some people aren't too happy about the mid-night wake-up call, the alert system has contributed to 154 safe recoveries, nationwide.
This morning, Lt. Mike Ross was out looking for Gorge when Gorge found him.
Lt. Mike Ross, Salt Lake City Police Dept.: "I turned around and there he was, walking on Redwood Road. He was crying and upset."
Upset, but okay, and very relived to be back home.
In this case, the friend Gorge was staying with didn't have a phone, but regardless, police say it's not only important to know where your own kids are, but if you have other children at your house, it's always a good idea to make contact with their parents.
