A boy with autism from Washington has been found dead in Mexico after he went missing a month ago.
James Martin Camacho's body was found in an empty cotton field in Juarez Tuesday afternoon. Authorities say there was no evidence of a homicide. It appears the 7-year-old boy died from hypothermia 10 days ago.
Camacho disappeared from his grandmother's home in Juarez, Mexico, just over the border from El Paso, Texas, on January 21.
The boy's mother, 38-year-old Teirasa Mower, is homeless in Marysville and says her son moved down there last week to be with his father and two older siblings. Re
Camacho, who has autism, got out of his grandmother's home, according to media reports. Officers found a pair of his tennis shoes near the Rio Grande the next day and issued an Amber Alert.
While authorities in the U.S. typically reserve Amber Alerts for a child believed to be in imminent danger of serious injury or death, it's unclear if Mexican authorities use the same standard.
Juarez city is considered to be one of the most dangerous in the world because of its high murder rate and organized crime.
"I didn't want to let him go," said Mower, when asked about allowing her kids to move to Mexico with her husband, who is a Mexican national.
Mower explained she's been homeless, living a tent on a vacant property in Marysville.
"I don't have any place for them," Mower said in tears. "Because I know I'm homeless, staying in a tent, and it's not a good place for them. And [their father] kept a roof over their heads, made sure they had food and clothing and I can't do that for them now. I had a lot go on over the last year, and it has not been easy. It was easy for me to let him take care of them and I didn't have to worry about them."
Mower was trying to go to El Paso, Texas, to get over the border to help find her son. A KING 5 viewer watched her story and wanted to help.
Barb Pintler of Federal Way paid and booked a flight for Mower.
"You could see the emotion coming, her crying," said Pintler. "It just made my heart tight. It made me cry."
Pintler's husband, Larry, added a $100 bill for emergencies.
