KSP: Missing 5-year-old at center of Tuesday’s ‘Ian Alert’ found dead

By CNN Newsource

Published July 15, 2025 2:13 PM

By Emily Sanderson

CUB RUN, Ky. (WLWT) — Kentucky State Police confirm the child at the center of Tuesday’s Ian Alert has been found dead.

Police said 5-year-old Silas, who is autistic, walked away from his home Tuesday at 8 a.m. in Cub Run, Kentucky. Cub Run is just outside of Mammoth Cave National Park, which is about 170 miles from the Cincinnati area.

KSP was notified and issued an Ian Alert. After a search, KSP confirmed Silas was found dead.

KSP did not release any further information.

Many across the state and even into the Cincinnati region got the alert to their phone. The alert prompted a sharp sound on mobile devices with information on the missing child.

An Ian Alert is designed to help save the lives of children with autism. The alert will cover gaps between other alerts and uses the same system as the Amber Alert.

It’s named for Ian Sousis, a 9-year-old boy who had autism. He ran away from the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky and drowned in the Ohio River on June 4, 2022.

Tuesday actually marks the one year anniversary of Ian Alert system’s start date.

In Ohio, there’s been a push to get lawmakers to create what could be called “Joshua Alerts” named after the death last year in West Chester of Joshua Al-Lateef, a 6-year-old with autism, who drowned in a pond near his home.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.