WESTFORD, Mass — After the drowning of a child with autism earlier this summer, Westford police hope technology will provide an additional layer of security for families with vulnerable loved ones.
In June, six-year-old Zayan Mayanja, who was non-verbal, slipped out a window and wandered from his family’s Westford home.
Multiple agencies searched for the boy for hours, using drones, K-9s and a State Police AirWing. But after midnight, Zayan’s body was found in Nabnasset Lake. His death sent a ripple of heartache through the close-knit town.
“It hit the entire community extremely hard,” said Westford Deputy Police Chief James Peloquin. “Hit all the first responders, counselors, really everybody. I think any time a child is involved, vulnerable populations, it certainly hits harder.”
Determined to prevent another tragedy, Westford police began offering families with vulnerable loved ones Apple AirTags.
An AirTag is a small, wireless tracker that sends out anonymous Bluetooth signals to nearby Apple devices, which then transmit the AirTag’s location to iCloud. With the Find My app, the account owner can then locate the AirTag’s precise whereabouts.
Westford Police Capt. Michael Breault believes the devices could save the life of a missing person, and he hopes other police departments will look into supplying families with AirTags or other Bluetooth or GPS trackers.
“It very well could [save a life],” Breault. “It could help us get a head start, too, when we respond to a call for that. The father or mother is looking at their phone and sees their child in some spot, or their family member in some spot. We can hone in our resources in that area.”
Westford police have been offering the devices to families of individuals on their Cognitive Alert Registration, which, in collaboration with the town’s Council on Aging, contains information about residents who have Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, autism or other cognitive impairments.
Adopted in 2018 following other police departments, Westford’s Cognitive Alert Registration includes biographical information about the person – such as hair and eye color, height and weight – as well as what condition they have and whether they have a tendency to wander. Some children with autism, for example, are drawn to water.
“Some family members report that their child likes to go near railroad tracks or go into the woods,” Breault explained. “So, we know areas that we may need to start searching for right away. All this information is going to pop up on the computer for our officers to see before they even get to the scene.”
Nancy Cook, treasurer of non-profit Westford Remembers, collected donations for Zayan’s grieving family, and with some funds left, reached out to police, who directed her to purchase the AirTags.
“If we can save one life with whatever it costs us to provide them,” Cook said, “If they can just find [missing children] faster. It’s so scary. I can’t imagine the fear of losing a child.”
The charity spent nearly $700 on 24 AirTags and more than 40 attachments, including watchbands, bracelets, and keychains. For those with sensory limitations, some attachments can be inserted in the sole of a shoe or clip on a belt loop.
Six-year-old Weston Mahady, who has a rare, undiagnosed genetic disease, is on Westford’s Cognitive Alert Registration.
Weston, a happy, little boy who loves his little sister and his tricycle, is legally blind and sensory-seeking. When he hears a car drive by or a lawnmower across the street, he often darts toward that sound.
“He’s starting to climb into windowsills and hold on to the locks and open them,” Weston’s mother Ali Mahady said. “And so, we’re realizing safety is becoming really scary.”
Weston now has an AirTag attached to his shoelaces for his parents to track his location when he is heading home on the school bus – or anywhere, in real time.
“Learning about these AirTags is something that’s just an extra layer of protection for a kid like Weston, who potentially might bolt out the door one day or might potentially learn how to open that door when we’re not looking,” Ali said.
Two towns away, in Lowell, Sam Kkonde still mourns the death of his three-year-old son Harry.
In June 2022, Harry, who was non-verbal, wandered from his babysitter’s home and was found the following day in a nearby pond.
“We’re trying to cope here, but life has never been the same,” Sam told Boston 25 News. “It’s a tragedy. It can change someone’s life. It leaves you almost half-dead, to be honest with you.”
Sam is traumatized by those frantic hours searching for his son. Told about Westford Police Department’s AirTag program, he is now considering getting a similar device for his two-year-old son Harvey, born after his big brother’s death.
“Whatever the police [department] is doing, they’re doing a good job,” Sam said. “You don’t want people to end up like us.”
While Apple has made it clear AirTags are not intended for tracking people, the devices are becoming a popular and inexpensive resource for parents.
“AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property,” the company said in 2022, referring to an unrelated use of the device.
For more information about Westford Police Department’s Cognitive Alert Registration, visit this page: Cognitive-Alert-Registration-Information-Form (westfordma.gov).
Residents seeking an AirTag for a vulnerable family member can contact Westford police at 978-399-2345.
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