Dad of missing autistic teen says Nicholas Read could be ‘anywhere’

WINNIPEG — The father of a missing teen with autism says he’s not sure where to search for his son.

Rob Read, the father of Nicholas Read, 16, who went missing Wednesday, said no search party has been planned to look for his son because “we don’t know where to start. He could be anywhere.”

“He has a little bit of money on him,” he said. “Could he hop on a bus and head across the city? Sure. Could he go to the Ex? Sure. I don’t know where he is.”

Nicholas has been dealing with stress in his life that may have prompted him to take off from school, he said.

READ MORE: Autistic teen missing after being dropped off at Winnipeg school

Read last saw Nicholas on Wednesday morning, when he dropped him off at school at West Kildonan Collegiate. Nicholas didn’t attend any of his classes Wednesday.

“I walked him into the school and set up his computer and left him,” said Read. “That’s the last time I saw him.”

Read plans to head out Friday and search near West St. Paul after a woman reported seeing his son walking near a newer development there on Thursday evening.

A resident said she saw him near Burns Road and Toshack Road but didn’t know he was missing until she returned home.

“He could be hiding somewhere,” said Read. “If he’s wandered into those homes under construction and he doesn’t have a flashlight, he could have fallen into a basement and hurt himself.”