MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Federal Initiative Launched to Improve Response When Autistic People Go Missing

ROCHESTER, MN (August 22, 2026) Federal health officials have launched a national initiative designed to improve coordination and public alerts when autistic children or adults wander away or are reported missing.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the National Autism Missing and Endangered Person Alert Initiative during a visit Friday to Rochester.

The initiative will bring together the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, Federal Emergency Management Agency, law enforcement agencies, emergency-management officials, first responders and community organizations.

The agencies plan to develop a national framework for responding to qualifying autism-related missing-person cases. The framework is expected to build on FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System and establish best practices for agencies handling incidents involving wandering or elopement.

A nationwide autism-specific public alert system is not yet operational. Kennedy said federal, state and local partners must develop the standards and procedures needed to turn the proposal into a working national capability.

The initiative will also address preventable injuries and deaths associated with autistic people going missing. Drowning is an especially serious risk when a person wanders toward a lake, river, pond or swimming pool.

Federal officials said at least 98 autistic children and young adults were recovered dead after wandering or eloping in 2025, with drowning accounting for 88 percent of those deaths.

Rochester was selected for the announcement because the Rochester Police Department and Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office have operated Project Lifesaver locally for more than 15 years. The program combines tracking technology, caregiver relationships and specialized law-enforcement responses for people who may wander because of autism, dementia or another cognitive condition.

Local officials said Project Lifesaver has maintained a 100 percent success rate in locating participating individuals before they were seriously harmed.

Families should understand that Friday’s announcement begins the development process. It does not immediately create a new alert comparable to an Amber Alert.

Anyone reporting a missing person who may be in immediate danger should call 911 and explain the person’s diagnosis, communication needs, likely destinations and attraction to water or other hazards.

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