Frankfort Police, Volunteers Reunite Missing Boy With Autism After Overnight Search

Frankfort Village Board Meeting | June 15, 2026

Article Summary: Frankfort Police Chief Leanne Chelepis told the Village Board on Monday, June 15, 2026, that an 11-year-old boy with autism reported missing June 11 was found safe about three miles from his home after an overnight search that drew dozens of agencies and hundreds of community volunteers.

Missing Child Search Key Points:

• The child, identified by the chief only as Joey, was located unharmed roughly three miles from home following what Chelepis called an “exhaustive overnight search.”
• More than a dozen police, fire, emergency-management and search-and-rescue organizations from across Will and Cook counties assisted, including air and drone support.
• Hundreds of residents gathered at a Grand Prairie staging area to join the search on a rainy night.
• Chelepis called the outcome “nothing short of a miracle,” and several trustees said it was the most moving community moment they could recall.

FRANKFORT — The Frankfort Village Board on Monday, June 15, 2026, heard an emotional account from Police Chief Leanne Chelepis describing how local officers, neighboring agencies and a wave of community volunteers came together to find an 11-year-old boy with autism who went missing on the evening of Thursday, June 11.

Chelepis said the Frankfort Police Department immediately launched a large-scale search after receiving the report, mobilizing numerous police agencies, search-and-rescue organizations and volunteers. “After an exhaustive overnight search, Joey was safely located approximately three miles from his home and remarkably unharmed,” she said. The chief described the result in stark terms: “The outcome of this incident was nothing short of a miracle.”

A Search That Drew the Region

The chief credited her command staff and two sergeants who led the operation, along with patrol officers, investigators, dispatchers and support personnel — many of whom, she said, worked well beyond their scheduled shifts to find the boy and investigate his disappearance.

Chelepis thanked a long list of partner agencies. Neighboring police departments in Mokena, New Lenox and Manhattan and the Will County Sheriff’s Department contributed personnel, equipment and specialized resources, she said. The Frankfort Fire Protection District and surrounding fire agencies provided drone operations and command support, while the Will County Emergency Management Agency and the local ESDA organization supplied personnel, command vehicles and search assistance. Cook County Sheriff’s Police provided air support, and specialized search teams and K-9 units conducted methodical sweeps of the area.

The chief reserved her most emphatic praise for the residents who turned out. “Standing in the parking lot at Grand Prairie and seeing it filled with people who simply wanted to help was both moving and inspiring,” she said, adding that most of the volunteers had never met the boy or his family but came anyway despite the late hour and difficult weather. “While this incident tested our community, it also revealed its very best qualities: compassion, selflessness, resilience, and unity,” Chelepis said. “That night, Frankfort reminded us all what it means to be a community.”

Mayor Keith Ogle said the response was a product of long-term preparation. The successful outcome, he said, came from having the resources, the training and the strategic partnerships in place to pull in outside agencies and channel community support, and he expressed gratitude that the search ended safely.

Board Members Reflect

Several trustees spoke at length during board comments. Trustee Michael Leddin, who said he is the father of a child with autism, called it the most moving event he had attended in Frankfort. “Being a dad, but also a dad with a child with autism, I know how quickly these things can happen,” Leddin said, recounting a time his own son briefly disappeared and was found within 30 minutes — “a very long time,” he said. He thanked Chelepis and the entire department and surrounding communities.

Trustee Maura Rigoni said she brought her two teenagers to help and that they thanked her afterward for bringing them. Seeing the turnout at Grand Prairie and the activity around town near midnight, she said, “reinstilled that there is kindness out there.” Trustee Jessica Petrow invoked Fred Rogers’ familiar advice to “look for the helpers,” saying Frankfort had once again rallied when needed most. Trustee Dan Rossi said the night “really showed me what a great town we all live in.”

The account came as a special report ahead of the mayor’s report and prompted extended applause and thanks from the board to the chief and her staff.