Authorities: Missing teen indicated he was running away

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Authorities in southern Missouri searching a wooded area for a 13-year-old boy with autism who went missing a week ago said Thursday the teen indicated to a relative he doesn't want to be found.

Phelps County, Missouri, Sheriff's Department Sgt. George Arnold said Johnathan Shay and an 11-year-old relative had been playing in the yard of their grandmother's house in the St. James, Missouri, area when they disappeared July 9 after making plans to run away. The younger boy was found the next day walking along a creek.

"The information we had was that they split up and that the boy, Johnathan, made it clear that he wasn't going home and wasn't going to be found," Arnold said. "With that, we have reason to believe he has purposely decided to stay running."

The Missouri State Highway Patrol, local law enforcement and community members have helped in the search, which has employed a helicopter, divers, search dogs and night-vision goggles. Arnold said the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children joined the effort Monday, sending two people to help investigators and the boy's family.

The National Weather Service said temperatures in the area have reached the low- to mid-90s, with humidity levels that have made it feel like it was nearly 100 degrees.

"It has been extremely hot and dangerous," Arnold said. "We would say the elements would certainly be hazardous for him and for the searchers."