Parker Eastman, 15, who ran away from his Minnesota home on Aug. 21, was found safe in California.
A 15-year-old boy who ran away from his Minnesota home in August might have been in Tumwater late last week.
That's according to his mother, Meghan Eastman, who has posted information about her missing son on Facebook and spoke to an Olympian reporter on Sunday from her home in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Her son, Parker Eastman, 15, ran away from home Aug. 21.
Meghan said she recently received a text that said, "It's Parker." She then repeatedly tried to call the phone number attached to that text, but none of those calls were answered. Finally, a person replied by text to say that a boy at the Tumwater Walmart had asked to use the phone. That person also texted that the boy "seemed OK."
After that, Meghan said she notified local police in Detroit Lakes on Friday.
Detroit Lakes Sgt. Chris Phillips confirmed Sunday they were following up on that tip and had reached out to Tumwater police. Tumwater Sgt. Ken Driver said the department had heard from a Minnesota-based detective.
How the investigation proceeds was not immediately clear Sunday.
Meghan said her son ran away from home because he had suffered under an abusive stepfather and developed post-traumatic stress disorder. The boy was set to enter an in-patient mental health program when he ran away. The stepfather is out of the picture because they have divorced, she said.
"It has been almost the months since Parker left us and I am no closer to any answers," she said in a Facebook post Nov. 11. "It is so difficult to get through the days without him. With the holidays coming up, I just need him home."
Detroit Lakes is about 45 minutes from Fargo, North Dakota. She was not aware of any family in the Northwest that Parker might be staying with. She said when he left home, he had no identification and no phone. Parker is described as 5-foot-5, with hazel eyes and weighs about 150 pounds.
Anyone in the Thurston County area who has information about Parker is asked to call 911, Sgt. Driver said. Or, those with information can call Detroit Lakes police in Minnesota at 218-847-4222, Sgt. Chris Phillips said. If you call after hours, Central Standard Time, those calls are fielded by the Becker County Sheriff's Office.
