Avonte Oquendo Update: Search Headquarters Reopens in Astoria; Avonte's Mother Speaks Out
- Jessica Michele Herring
- Dec 10, 2013 11:16 AM EST
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The search headquarters for missing teen Avonte Oquendo, who has been missing for over two months, has reopened at a new location.
The new address for the command post is 21-81A, 24th Astoria, NY 11105, according to the Bring Avonte Home Facebook page. The new headquarters is indoors, which will allow family members and volunteers to keep warm.
The family is paying for the new space, but the owner of the building gave them a break on rent, permitting them to have a month-to-month lease. The headquarters is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., but is sometimes open later.
According to the page, anyone who wants to assist with search efforts or has any questions should call (718) 606-6610.
Avonte Oquendo, 14, has been missing since he walked out of his Long Island City public school on Oct. 4. He is severely autistic and nonverbal.
His mother, Vanessa Fontaine, spoke about her son's disappearance to NY1 for the first time in over a month.
"Nobody knows how empty I feel without my son," Fontaine said.
She said she keeps thinking about the morning she sent him to school on the fourth of October. "I wish I never sent him to school," she said.
Fontaine, a mother of five, grew up in Astoria and works as a medical case manager. She has taken a leave of absence from work to spend all of her time searching for her son.
They are still always looking for volunteers to help with the search effort. "If you can give any of your time, it doesn't have to be that much, it can be an hour just to help me do flyers or go post," she said.
Fontaine is at the headquarters seven days a week.
With the holidays approaching, Fontaine said that the palpability of Avonte's absence is making it difficult for the family to stay strong.
"I just want everybody to understand while you're with your family on this holiday. I would like my son home with me," Fontaine said.
Other family members echoed her feelings.
"It's a very weird feeling, I feel an emptiness," said Doris McCoy, Avonte's grandmother.
So far, the NYPD has followed up on more than 725 tips, but none have been fruitful. Fontaine says she is still hopeful that her son is alive.
"This is the month of miracles and I'm hoping that he will come home before Christmas," she said.
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