Tristan King, the 9-year-old boy who has been missing since September, was found safely Friday in Baltimore’s Curtis Bay neighborhood.
Members of the Baltimore Police Department found King at a Curtis Bay residence after BPD’s Missing Persons Unit received a tip.
Officers took King to an area hospital, where he received medical and psychological evaluations.
“I share the relief and gratitude of all of the Baltimoreans who have hoped and prayed for Tristan’s safe return for months,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott said in a statement. “I want to thank the Baltimore Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and all our partners who worked tirelessly to bring Tristan home, as well as the community members who came forward with information to help investigators.”
“Today, Maryland breathes a prayer of relief that Tristan King has been found after months of fear, heartbreak, and uncertainty,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement. “The first priority now is making sure Tristan is safe, supported, and surrounded by the care he needs to begin healing. We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped bring him home — including law enforcement, child welfare professionals, community members, and every person who refused to stop looking for him. We owe Tristan action, not excuses, and we will keep working to make sure no child falls through the cracks like this again.”
Law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate King’s disappearance. Potential charges are pending for individuals who may have helped conceal King or obstruct law enforcement.
Officials said they will not be releasing any other details at this time in order to protect King’s privacy and well-being.
The search for King was a coordinated effort among local, state, and federal officials, including the Baltimore Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and other partners. Community organizations and members of the public who submitted tips also aided these agencies.
“The U.S. Marshals Service supports state and local partners in recovering critically missing children across the nation,” said Clinton J. Fuchs, U.S. Marshal for the District of Maryland, in a statement. “We are extremely proud of the Baltimore Police Department and grateful for their extraordinary efforts in locating and safely recovering this nine-year-old child.”
King’s disappearance followed a series of unfortunate events, and government missteps and red tape hampered the search for his whereabouts, The Baltimore Banner reported.
King has been missing since he was briefly in state custody and jumped out of his caseworker’s car. Before that, his grandmother suffered a stroke in May and had to live in a nursing home, his school unenrolled him after repeated absences, his house burned down in July, and he lived in a tent with his great-aunt until she handed him over to the Maryland Department of Human Services, according to the Banner’s reporting.
I really dislike the way the Governor and the Mayor are acting like Tristan was” rescued” from some evil stranger who harmed. I think he got a way on their watch and that kind of talk is them deferring and trying to reclaim the narrative. Also their still investigating and charges may be coming, Seriously?!? I as a loving,caring,empathetic human being wish law makers and police agencies could use common sense. Are they seriously going to make the people who clothed, fed and obviously housed, if they are thinking of pressing charges, into criminals? This winter was brutal and this child is nine years old and homeless, can you imagine if those people had turned their back on Tristan? They say like everyone else were praying Tristan would be found alive. If no one had helped this nine year old child this past winter, does anyone think he would have survived? Please use common sense and your heart and Do Not Criminalize Compassion & Kindness ! Lastly I would like to point out by law they say Tristan is not old enough to consent to whom he wants to live with. Maybe your average 9 year old is not mature enough but most 9 year old have not had to survive the loss of the only one whose taken care of you and loved you, his grandmother because of her having a stroke, 2 months after that hiss home burns down and he and his great Aunt are living in a tent, then jumps out of a moving car to escape state custody, if he was happy with his treatment he would not have jumped out of a moving car, next navigates being homeless 6 months in Baltimore City, do you really think they would have the same maturity level as the 9 year old who lives at home with their parents, goes to school and plays,No absolutely not. This is what I mean when I say I hope they use common sense and compassion. Unfortunately Tristans childhood innocence was ripped away a long time ago and his maturity level has got to be every bit of a teenagers or young adult. Hes been through enough, he needs lots of love,understanding and stability! This story has made me really consider becoming a foster Mom.
Absolute truth.
There’s a lot not being said in this article. I bet he was with a non custodial parent. They make it really hard to get custody back once deemed unfit, my heart breaks for this family. It’s so hard already these days, most of us are on the verge of being homeless
Wow. If those who kept him and clothed him knew he was declared missing, why then will they not release him to appropriate authority? Definitely, they used the poor boy’s situation against him. Most likely, used him for “Dirty Errands”.
Lisa, I absolutely agree 100% with you. This poor child, unfortunately, had to grow up fast. He hasn’t been able to be a normal child. Baltimore is a very hard city anyway to live in. There needs to be more good hearted people willing to be a foster parent like yourself. I would do it but my age and health has me. I use to keep the ones in WV. that had problems at home. I also had my 2 boys. I use to be called the town mom. Im praying for Tristan and everyone involved. Also good luck to you.
Amen!!!!
TLDR all of it. I stopped after you blamed 2 government officials for thanking the people who helped find a missing child, acknowledging the child was harmed by government mistakes, and vowing to correct and protect. That’s all the mayor and governor did and are supposed to do. Point fingers at a system created 200 years ago to do exactly what it did, take a child from a home it deemed unsafe, and find a safe temporary place until they can put the child with family again. That system was broken way before these 2 recently elected Black men took office , but you tried it.
You are so right. Now that he has been found. Where is he going to be taken to? He’ll be right back in state custody going to a foster home. I won’t be surprised if he gets away again. He knows where he wants to be. Especially by now.
Kudos to you sis
I hear what you’re saying. However, keeping this child for SIX MONTHS crosses legal boundaries. Invite him in and give him a hot meal and some cocoa while YOU CALL THE PROPER OFFICIALS!! You don’t get to just keep someone else’s kid. That is neither loving, compassionate nor empathetic. It is a Federal crime known as kidnapping. I don’t know all the particulars, but I cannot imagine any decent citizen holding a boy in their home for six months. The potential charges could be for offenses these person(s) may have committed against the child.
I am a bleeding heart, I help aid and advocate for the homeless and I am definitely I caring, loving, empathetic human being and I totally do not understand keeping a child that is not yours for six months!
Please don’t. Especially when you make judgement calls without all the facts. Being a foster Mom is no small fete. Plus, if you were going to do it, why haven’t you already? You mean this story “changed” your mind? All the hurting children and this story changed your mind. Please don’t!!!
Agreed GREAT POINTS
Lisa, well said!!!!
Where was the state in July?
The more I’m listening to Moore, the more I’m hearing words(to be nice) I don’t like.
Excellent
Haters page
I wish that I had the means to become a foster mom. I would take him in, in a heartbeat and give him all the love, security and stability that he needs!
I think the people who housed Tristan should be criminally Charged. We don’t know how he was treated and what was done to him. He was not enrolled in school. What kind of home life was he living in? What kind of people was He living with. A family, a man, woman, teenagers? A lot of information needs to be forth coming for this innocent young helpless child. I pray he gets all the Love ❤️ and helps he needs. So Glad He has been found. And I hope Safe.
I would not see why the State are not putting his Aunt into a home to safely have full custody of Tristan . See he ran from the custody of the state to his aunt so what’s the reason they trying to press charges on her for child of her kin blood can that had to know where she was living in a tent to run to her for help so the state need to take charges and put her in some place with him to live out of that tent. Now you got a person off the street out of a tent and a child in a home with an adult. This is what states are trying to do today at 2026 remove people living in tents off the streets and take runaway children and put them someplace safe.
I live on West Bay Ave & drove through that street numerous of times where Tristan was found my son even goes to Curtis Bay elementary and said he never seen this kid before.Such a sad situation 😔
Thank you. I was thinking the same thing. They act like the boy was kidnapped instead of running away from a disfunctional system. Maybe the people who found him should have notified the State, but that would have meant he was back in the system without a home, and he would have learned not to trust anyone. I can see how they would try to keep him at least a while
Exactly his family his home just gone at 9 I wash 50 and fell apart God Bless those people who took him !! Bc the system sucks and he has no family but a great aunt who is homeless so they protected him probably I’m sure the child would of looked harmed the hospital would of seen if he was abused .I know it’s a sick world but I think there are good people out there
I love everything about your comment. The system has been doing wrong by our kids for years. I think my heart would have made me do the same keep him safe because it’s clear he ran from something. I have had several kids in my home our the years with lots of problems what I have learned is giving them love and alot of understanding keep there family involved in there life. They should have tried to help the aunt get housing so the both would be safe off the streets this is a happy ending but still a vert sad one.
I was a foster mom. I spent MANY days under investigation for false claims of abuse because people are WILLFULLY ignorant or going along with “the process”. Seriously??? You KNOW the crackhead grandmother wants custody for a check and the scars the child pointed out since last week’s visit look like birthmark blemishes. Mam, how can that be the result of something that supposedly happened this week. The social worker looked me dead in my face and said, “Turn them over. Let them go. Save yourself and your own children! It’s not worth it. If you get the wrong social worker investigating, you could lose it all.” I readily took her advice. They placed the children elsewhere along with more false allegations. Guess who called me two months later? The crackhead grandmother – begging me to take the kids back. NO MAM!!! You NEVER run back to abuse or willful ignorance. I continues to pray for the children, but I could not! I’m not trying to deter you. But I do want to give you full warning and disclosure. I also say all of this to explain how that person you claim did the right thing is highly likely going to jail. It’s unfortunate, but the system keeps, encourages and promotes trash while throwing the flowers away. Take note, take heed, but go in armed for battle. I wish you the best.
I am not looking for responding of words that make sense here People. I am speaking freely to help two more human beings from falling into that crack as so says the State who always seemly to push People into that same crack…Now who is going to take responsibility and get Tristan’s aunt as well as Tristan and to a safe home to live so he could continue his education and his aunt can get resources that the state can give her to help her get herself on her feet and so could be a job or so may need help treatment who knows besides those professionals that still pushes us to the streets or two more drugs as they talk about pharmaceuticals it’s a problem in the United States with those in office doing duties and not fulfilling the job duty descriptions.
This is the second child egregiously mishandled by DHS under Mayor Scott and Governor Moore in under 6 months. Why did this kid jump out of a moving car I wonder? Does Baltimore City even care about kids anymore?
I will say this absolute clownery is 100% consistent with my experience with DHS. Dealing with that office makes me want to jump off things too. Shame on Baltimore City for the way they administer DHS.
Mayor Scott should fire his press people for reframing this as a rescue when people should be fired.
It took 5 months and The US Marshalls to get this kid but Baltimore City Police Department has literally an army at it’s disposal?
How? I do no know a single constituent who wants some low level drug arrests over the safety of a child. Something is very very wrong.
Mayor Scott is running a city and Governor Moore is running a state. While I am sure they care, it ludicrous to think they can be everywhere and involved in everything at once. Instead of just criticizing, volunteer to help the Mayor or the Governor. Oh, I guess that’s too much to ask … You are running a household!!!
I’m kinda torn between Tristan’s Family; who could’ve but didn’t step up, and The State of MD (whose efforts were distasteful and untrustworthy towards Tristan + neglectful) whose social services probably were worse.
After reading the backstory on Tristan’s unfortunate life of a 9 year old who had to navigate through these mean Tuff streets of Baltimore City/County, I can imagine being 9, and going/seeing + yet surviving what he been through. This is a CHILD; a very young child, we’re speaking of and many ADULTS haven’t been through nor survived what Tristan has endured. Ima adult who’s merely surviving without a job, so I can imagine what it was like for a 9 year old sheeeeeesh; Grandma said GOD only takes cares of fools and babies, Grandma never lied tho!
Tristan, must didn’t trust the States Social Services assistance and professionals anytime he had the courage to jump outta a moving car to avoid foster care services so, I blame his surviving family members who didn’t step up and take the boy in and help provide for em instead of letting the State take him. Group homes are like prisons and jails so I don’t think he wanted to be apart of that again so, he’s not the normal average 9 year old because of how fast he had to grow up due to his unfortunate upbringing and lose of guardians so early. But, Ima say this, kudos to the people who helped get him through this brutal winter; one of the coldest on record in MD, and had they not gotten him off the streets Tristan would’ve most likely died from hypothermia like some in my neighborhood did this winter. I don’t think they should be arrested nor questioned though as adults didn’t notify authorities that he was okay, I think they should be given all the credit and the key to the State of Maryland, for their heroic actions for real tho 🙏🏽clap… either people don’t understand our black culture or have forgotten our culture… hope that didn’t fly over y’all head!!!
Man Jackson, after reading the article on Tristan, I thank you for helping him. It’s horrific this young child was left in the predicament he found himself in. I’m thankful he survived and pray he is taken in by a decent family that truly cares about his wellbeing and not for their financial gain. I thank God for keeping Tristan safe throughout his ordeal and always.
I totally agree with you Man Jackson. Let’s all just keep Tristan and his situation in prayer. Hoping the best for Tristan’s future! 😇
Stop cherry picking federal help. Either you support federal law enforcement or you don’t. All the sanctuary states that oppose federal enforcement would not get any of any kind on my watch.
Help*
I am so grateful that Tristan was found alive! There should be more press and media alerts to let the public know when people especially children are missing. Reading this article is the first time I’ve heard Tristan King’s name.
I agree with you Lisa K. the kindness and compassion is what kept Tristan K. alive through it all. The system failed him in so many ways as it often does it the foster care system. There needs to be more accountability. Often, times then not when the news gets involved only then quick action is taken. We have got to simply do better people. Step up more 🙏🏽🙏🏽
While all of this was nicely said…..so someone in fact did house a kid who was missing meaning no one called proper authorities….which says that most likely he was with family members……however when a kid shows up on your door step some authorities need to be called just to cover your self.