HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – As the search for missing teenager Sebastian Rogers enters its eighth day, his parents are speaking out for the first time on television about the last time they saw the 15-year-old alive.
An AMBER Alert was issued on behalf of Rogers, who was last seen around midnight on Feb. 26. State and local authorities have searched for him for more than a week using helicopters, drones and search-and-rescue dogs, as well as hundreds of trained professionals on foot. However, law enforcement announced Monday they are scaling down that search.
Rogers, who has autism, has not been seen on camera or in person since his disappearance. His mother Katie Proudfoot and stepfather Chris Proudfoot sat down with WSMV4′s Holly Thompson Monday afternoon to discuss the days since.
“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” his mother Katie Proudfoot said. “Anyone.”
“On one constant rollercoaster ride of helpless and hopeless,” Chris Proudfoot added. “Many other emotions all in one and it’s a never-ending world because it doesn’t stop.”
Rogers’ parents said the day Sebastian went missing seemed like a normal day. The family went to sleep, but when Katie Proudfoot went to wake Sebastian up, he wasn’t there. She immediately called her husband, who was at work.
“I can’t find him,” she said, describing that conversation. “What do you mean you can’t find him? I said, ‘he’s not in the house.’”
Katie Proudfoot said she searched all over the home, inside closets and outside and couldn’t find him. The 15-year-old has high-functioning autism and is described as “very smart,” a gamer and “not a mischievous child by any means.”
Why he’s gone is still a mystery, she said.
“My son doesn’t run and he’s not a runner. He’s never run away before,” she said. “I don’t know why he walked out that door.”
“There’s answers to questions right now that we are searching for desperately and we just don’t have that,” Sebastian’s stepfather added.
His parents have been criticized by many for not talking to the media until now. His parents say they shouldn’t be judged because no one knows what they’re going through while day after day search efforts to find their son have been unsuccessful.
“You don’t know, and I don’t wish you to ever know,” they said. “Just be kind to people. It’s just that simple.”
All Katie and Chris Proudfoot want at this time is for Sebastian to come home, they said. They are grateful for the community and law enforcement’s efforts during their extensive search.
“We love you so much, and we want you to come home and you’re not in trouble,” his mother said. “I just want my baby to be ok.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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