MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It was an image of a teen reunited with his dog that captivated the hearts of millions, and the image did the exact same thing for a Senatobia woman but for a different reason.
A woman who says she is the mother of the teen spoke with WREG, and she says it has been a year since she has seen her son after reporting him missing last summer to Senatobia police.
“I started crying,” she said. “I wish he would come home. I want to see him. I’m not mad at him. I just want him in my house. I want him to be here with me.”
The 17-year-old supposedly told officials at the Senatobia-Tate County Animal Shelter that he was homeless and had been living under a bridge. His mother claims he ran away after she grounded him for misbehavior.
“He didn’t think he should have to be grounded for something he had done,” she said. “He thought he was grown and he could do it on his own. The fact that he thought he had to run away breaks my heart.”
Officials tell WREG after the teen reunited with his dog Friday, he now has a place to stay. However, they have not said why he has not been brought home to his mother who claims she has full custody.
“I don’t care about the past. I just want my baby, and anybody should understand that when they lose a child and he’s still alive and he can come back at any time, but instead of bringing him back to me, they put him with some strangers,” she said.
The good news is that the teen is safe and sound and off the streets. WREG reached out to Senatobia Police for an update on the investigation and has not heard back.
