After six months of uncertainty, a 9-year-old Baltimore boy who captured hearts has been found safe.
On Friday, March 13, the office of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced that Tristan King had been located less than two miles from where he was first reported missing.
“I share the relief and gratitude of all of the Baltimoreans who have hoped and prayed for Tristan’s safe return for months,” Scott said in a release. “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.”
King, who had been living under the legal guardianship of his grandmother, disappeared following a series of destabilizing events in his young life, the Baltimore Banner reported. Months before his disappearance, he was living in a Baltimore row home with his grandmother and great-aunt when his grandmother suffered a stroke. Shortly afterward, the home was destroyed in a fire. While his grandmother recovered in a nursing facility, King moved into a tent in an alley with his great-aunt, who struggled with substance abuse.
At one point the two were temporarily staying in a motel through public assistance programs, but when that arrangement ended, his great-aunt surrendered him to the state. According to officials, King fled after being picked up by a child services caseworker, jumping from the vehicle. He was reported missing on Sept. 24, 2025, and had not been seen since.
In the months that followed, his disappearance became a case many across Maryland followed closely, particularly as the search stretched into one of the region’s coldest winters on record. As he become the child missing for the longest at his age in the state’s history, his situation also raised questions about how vulnerable children can slip through the cracks of already fraying systems. At one point, King had been unenrolled from school, and his missing persons case was mistakenly closed before being reopened, the Baltimore Banner reported.
Authorities ultimately located him after a multiagency search inside a row house in the city’s Curtis Bay neighborhood, following public tips, WBFF reported. Officials say the boy was immediately taken to a hospital for medical and psychological evaluations.
While there had previously been plans for him to live with another family member before he ran away, it is unclear if that remains an option. He has since spoken with family members, including his grandmother.
“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.”
To protect Tristian’s privacy, officials say no additional details about where he spent the last six months or the circumstances of his recovery will be released at this time.
