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By Staff and wire reportsThe boy, who was supposed to go to a YMCA program, went to a day care center instead.
BRADENTON - Five-year-old Austin Arrington had just completed his second day of kindergarten at Moody Elementary School on Tuesday afternoon.
He was supposed to walk with about 50 other students and a school escort to his afterschool program at the neighboring YMCA. Instead, Austin told his 7-year-old brother that he wanted to board a school bus with a friend, something he had not done before.
It was a decision that set off a frantic search that lasted until early today.
With Austin nowhere to be found, the school was turned into a command center, and searchers went door to door looking for the boy under rainy and lightning-streaked skies.
Authorities were checking with the families of all the children who rode school buses Tuesday and asking if they had seen Austin. Police dogs and helicopters joined in the search.
Austin, meanwhile, had found his way - via bus - to Kid Konnections, a day care at 1606 55th Ave. W in Bradenton. According to the Bradenton Herald, he apparently answered to another child's name when the day care took roll call. The center closed at 11 p.m. When no one had picked the boy up, the staff called authorities about 1 a.m. When police arrived, the boy was sleeping.
School administrators had checked with all the bus drivers and viewed the surveillance tapes. There was no sign of Austin getting on a bus, they said.
A school employee escorts the children to the YMCA and is met by a YMCA employee, authorities said. When roll call was taken at the YMCA, counselors noticed that Austin was missing.
Austin's father, Joe Arrington, said he did not know why his son would wander away.
Arrington was notified of his son's absence at 4 p.m. when he arrived at the duplex off 26th Street W he began sharing with his parents six months ago, after the home he was renting in Palmetto was sold.
"The assistant principal was waiting in my driveway when I got home. He said, 'We can't find your son,' " Arrington said. "Austin liked the YMCA. He was going to be with the big boys. He was excited."
Arrington said Austin is familiar with the area. He attended the Bundles preschool, which is near Moody Elementary School and the YMCA, for two years before starting kindergarten Monday.
Information from the Bradenton Herald was used in this report.