Police Suspect Missing Tenerife Teenager is Hidden by Relative
Police suspect a missing 13-year-old boy from Tenerife, under the care of child protective services, is being hidden by a relative who has not informed authorities of his whereabouts.
Police think 13-year-old Ione, who was reported missing last Monday, is staying with a relative. They believe this relative hasn't told the authorities that Ione is there.
Ione is currently under the care of the General Directorate for the Protection of Children and Families of the Canary Islands Government.
He recently lived at the Sagrada Familia reception center (formerly Casa Cuna) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
It seems Ione didn't return to the center last Monday. Staff reported him missing to the National Police so they could find him.
Police are considering that he might be with his mother in the San Matías area of Taco, La Laguna, or with another relative. They think he might be hidden for a reason they don't yet know.
Officers went to his mother's house to speak with her and get information about where he might be.
However, she reportedly wouldn't open the door to help them find him, or she wasn't home.
The NGO SOS Desaparecidos issued a missing person alert last Monday for Ione. They describe him as being between 1.60 and 1.65 meters tall, with a slim build, brown hair, and brown eyes.
He was last seen wearing dark trousers, a light shirt, and black shoes, according to the organization.
Yesterday morning, the National Police said they were actively working on the case but couldn't provide more details yet.
In recent years, there have been several cases of minors under the care of the Canary Islands Government who go missing but are later found to be staying with relatives, friends' parents, or partners.