A Pennsylvania community is pulling together to search for an eighth-grade student who has been missing since Wednesday. The search has drawn hundreds of volunteers on foot and online.
The parents of Cayman Naib, 13, have been communicating through the Facebook group “Find Cayman” since a day after his disappearance, according to close friend David Binswanger.
Newtown Police say Cayman was last seen wearing a gray down winter jacket, black ski pants and hiking boots. He could be in the Radnor-Wayne area, roughly 20 miles from Philadelphia, or may have purchased a train ticket to Philadelphia, according to an alert posted on Facebook.
“We think that he got a email from school and was upset by it and left as an impulsive act,” Farid Naib, Cayman’s father, wrote Thursday on the group page. “We have spoken to his friends and they do not know where he is. Cayman does have his phone, we don’t know if he has any cash, he does not have his wallet.”
The parents said that his phone was out of power at the time.
“Cayman left within 30 minutes after he received an email from school regarding overdue home work (we do not blame the school) and most probably did not do any pre planning … He is a good kid, and has no substance abuse or other issues, this is the first time he has ever done anything like this,” his father and mother, Becky Naib, posted Friday.
The parents wrote Saturday that Cayman was not wearing waterproof clothing and that he did not take his backpack. Binswanger said weather limited search efforts Wednesday, the night Cayman went missing. Wednesday it was rainy and Thursday there was 6-8 inches of snow.
Hundreds of volunteers have stepped up to pass out fliers and to canvass areas, according to posts.
A post late Saturday explained search efforts included “advanced, geo-spacial tracking software to determine the exact locations where searchers went,” and added that the search would be taken to the skies Sunday with deployment of the Civil Air Patrol.
In many posts, the families appealed directly to their son.
“Cayman, if you read this please know that you are forgiven for everything, and I mean everything, you have the ultimate free pass. Just come home, we are so worried about you” the family posted Saturday.
A message to families from the head of The Shipley School, which Cayman attends, read in part: “Cayman’s sister Savannah is in ninth grade at Shipley and his parents, Farid and Becky, are terrific people. They have contacted police and are aware that we are sending you this email. We hope that Cayman is ok and are saying our prayers.”
CNN could not immediately get in touch with police or the FBI.