Teen with autism missing in Palatine

The mother of a 15-year-old autistic boy who went missing in Palatine on Wednesday afternoon says he has run away before, but this is the worst case.

Cook County sheriff's police are asking for help finding David Quattrochi, who was reported missing around 3 p.m. from Little City, a social service agency for children and adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities, at 1760 W. Algonquin Road.

Quattrochi has lived at the group home and gone to school at Little City since October 2014, said his mother, Jennifer, who lives in Somonauk.

David is nonverbal, and about a year and a half ago he started escaping from the house and running away, his mother said. The family looked for a secure group home for David, and Little City was one of the few that would take him because he is considered high risk — or, in medical terms, suffers from chronic elopement.

The longest he has been gone before was five hours, but that was near their home, Jennifer said.

By late Wednesday, David had already been missing more than seven hours, and helicopters searching the area had not found any trace of him. Overnight temperatures were expected to drop below freezing, and David was not wearing a coat when he wandered away, according to a news release.

“We've been through this a lot of times, but this is definitely the worst,” Jennifer said.

Jennifer said she plans to drive to the suburbs on Thursday morning but is trying to stay strong. She has two other children at home, and her husband is on the road as a truck driver.

“I'm not falling apart. I can't be. My faith is keeping me strong,” Jennifer said. “If I stopped to think of all the possibilities of things that could be happening, I could fall apart.”

She is hoping he found his way into a building to find food and stay warm for the night.

David does respond to his name, his mother said, but is afraid of dogs.

“He is very trusting, he is very friendly,” she said.

Quattrochi is a redhead, 5'3” tall and weighs about 90 pounds.

He was last seen wearing a gray shirt with blue stripes and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call sheriff's police at (708) 865-4896 or (847) 635-1188.