I am a mom of my 4y old daughter with high functioning autism/non verbal who has eloped out our home. I never once would’ve thought it would happen to me since I keep a good eye on her and she’s never been able to open any doors. She opened  the slider door while I was washing dishes and I noticed within a few minutes. I was on the phone with 911 for 7 minutes it felt like time stopped. My whole world came crashing down because everyday I see news articles of other autistic children who wandered and didn’t make it back home, I was thinking the worst. Thankfully, she was found safe by a neighbor but we need Project Lifesaver to make sure no family has to live out that nightmare. 

This can happen to anyone at anytime and it sadly does happen when parents/caregivers are sleeping, cleaning or a lot of times they will wander off in front of you outside etc. There is a lot of things like door/window alarms to prevent elopement but this is a helpful resource we should have after elopement has happened. 

In the U.S about 1 in 36 children is diagnosed with autism. Around 50% of autistic children will elope at some point. When they do wander, 90% of fatal outcomes are due to drowning as many are drawn to water. Next is traffic accidents like being struck by vehicles are a major risk as well with people with autism have no/limited awareness of danger. The longer a child is missing, the higher the risk.

6 in 10 individuals with dementia will also elope often leading to dangerous situations.

Project Lifesaver has shown success in reducing search times significantly by quickly locating those at risk. As of today 06/25/2026 Project Lifesaver has rescued 4,621 individuals that had eloped. It is a lightweight bracelet that is put on your loved one that has a radio frequency system that consists of a transmitter and receiver.  The transmitter is programmed with a frequency number and placed inside a case which can be worn on the wrist or ankle. If the family member were to wander, law enforcement staff would use a receiver programmed with the same frequency number as the transmitter and do a physical search.  The receiver sends off a chirp, chirp sound and the louder the sound the closer that staff person is to locating the family member.

Project Lifesaver partner with law enforcement agencies whose staff are trained and certified to implement the program and use our equipment. 

We’ve got a lot of great autism resources here already in West Michigan but having Project Lifesaver would take it even further and be a huge help for our community. Especially when we are a lake town and surrounded with ponds too. Our neighbor counties, like Kent and Muskegon already have it. Please sign this petition and send it to the Holland Police, Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department, Fire Department and the Emergency management board in Ottawa County. This will save lives and I’m just here to advocate for it!