GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Police are renewing calls for help in locating a Grand Rapids teenager who has been missing for more than three weeks, and a West Michigan mom continues to worry for the safety of her missing son.
Cortez's mom, Kisha, last saw her son on Oct. 26. Cortez, 16, was officially declared missing on Nov. 2, according to the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD). We’re told he was last seen west of Kies Street and Courtland Drive.
Kisha is pleading for help in bringing her son home. “Each time I eat, I wonder, 'Is he hungry?' Each time I go to bed, I wonder where he's sleeping. Each time I take a shower, I wonder, 'Has he?'” Kisha said. “He’s still a 16-year-old, vulnerable boy out — lost. And we need help: community help, police help, everyone's help.”
Kisha believes Cortez may be on the run. “I would choose to believe that he's running out of fear of what may happen to him upon return,” Kisha said.
Cortez encountered law enforcement agencies during a traffic stop in the Rockford area. “They wanted to run before the police could catch them," Kisha said. "So they went off running, running, running, running into the woods, and from there, he hasn't been seen.”
We’re told Cortez ran from police with two friends near a McDonald’s on East Division Avenue. His friends were found but they did not say Cortez had been with them.
“It is possible that Cortez is actively hiding, believing he is in trouble with the police,” says Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom. “He may be avoiding searchers. I want to be clear that our only interest is in bringing Cortez home safely.”
GRPD says they have collaborated with Michigan State Police and the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, among other law enforcement agencies. So far, all searches have produced no results.
“Maybe he just thinks, 'Oh, I'm in big trouble. I'm in big trouble,'" Kisha said. "'I have to stay away until it dies down.' I'm here to say it's not going to die down.”
Kisha says if her son is watching, she wants him to know that the police are not after him.
“I promise you, I'm not going to be mad at you," Kisha said. "You can just show up here. We will go get bacon burgers, and we will just live life normally. I promise you, son, it's nothing to run from. It's nothing to be ashamed of. We all love you. We all want you back. Please, just come home.”
“If you think you see Cortez, we ask that if you are able, take a video or photo and submit that to police,” Chief Winstrom adds. “We will continue our efforts to bring this young man home.”
Police are asking for anyone near the search area to check sheds, covered pools and hot tubs, and any other locations where a person might hide.
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