Missing U-46 autistic student, bus driver found

A 20-year-old male autistic student and an Elgin Area School District U-46 bus driver went missing for several hours Thursday afternoon, district officials confirmed, before being located about 5 p.m.

The student, an Elgin resident who attends a special needs program in the area, is transported daily to and from a work program in Downers Grove, district spokesman Tony Sanders said.

A substitute bus driver was dispatched to pick up the student and bring him back home around 2:30 p.m., Sanders said.

When the student did not arrive as scheduled, his parents became concerned, calling the district's transportation department.

Sanders said district officials worked with Illinois State Police and the Elgin Police Department to begin trying to reach the bus driver on her two-way radio. but the driver had become lost and was outside her radio range.

District officials were preparing to send out a media advisory asking for assistance in finding the student, when the driver called in about 5 p.m.

The student and the driver are now on their way home, Sanders said.