COON RAPIDS, Minn. — A missing 13-year-old boy from Coon Rapids was located early Friday morning in Minneapolis, police say.
Coon Rapids Police said Gavin Ryan Tessman was found safe, and has been reunited with his family.
The Coon Rapids Police Department and several K-9 handler teams from North Star Search and Rescue were searching for the missing 13-year-old in the area of the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park Thursday through early Friday morning.
According to Coon Rapids police, Gavin Ryan Tessman had been missing since around 8 a.m. Thursday. Gavin is 5' 6", 115 pounds with reddish/brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a dark blue hoodie, green sweatpants, black shoes and possibly carrying a black and red backpack.
According to Coon Rapids Police, Gavin left his home for the bus stop, but he never got on the bus. His school laptop was found at the bus stop and turned into the bus driver by a different student.
Police say Gavin never showed up to school, and that school officials called Gavin's aunt because it was out of character for him not to be in school.
"We combed the area of the neighborhood where Gavin resides, and we were able to confirm with some neighborhood surveillance cameras that he did walk toward the bus -- was seen on foot," said Coon Rapids Police Captain John Stahnke. "At one point we decided to start searching the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park, which is in the area. ... One of our detectives did speak with a citizen who described whom they thought was Gavin walking on the trail inside the park around 8 a.m., which would coincide with the timing. Upon seeing the citizen, Gavin ran into this heavily wooded area off of the path."
Stahnke said the Coon Rapids Fire Department sent out rescue boats, and the Minnesota State Patrol launched its helicopter to assist in the search. State Patrol used its thermal imaging to check the park for any heat signatures, but Stahnke said they weren't able to locate Gavin.
Police say a Coon Rapids resident saw someone matching Gavin's description in the area of the 8400 block of Mississippi Boulevard at around 9 a.m.
