A Texas grandmother is putting out a desperate plea for help to find her 18-year-old grandson with autism, who disappeared over the weekend in Miami.<\/p>\n
Jonathan Andrew Torres was last seen Saturday in the area of the Costa Norte Boutique Hotel at 7130 Harding Avenue in Miami Beach, according to Miami Beach Police.<\/p>\n
Michelle Lowe-Christensen described her grandson as high-functioning, outgoing and fascinated with Miami.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s enamored with Miami, he wants to be here, and he wants to do all the fun things he sees TikTokers do,” she said.<\/p>\n
Lowe-Christensen said Torres left work in Austin, Texas, last Wednesday, and his family knew something was wrong when he didn\u2019t return home at his usual time.<\/p>\n
Family members later discovered he had gone to the airport and boarded a flight to Miami.<\/p>\n
Torres has stopped answering calls and texts, his family said, believing he knew they would try to stop him from making the trip.<\/p>\n
According to his family, Torres arrived in South Florida early Thursday morning. Surveillance video showed him outside the Costa Norte Boutique Hotel, where he was staying.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe got two nights there and he never showed back up and all his stuff is there,” his grandmother said.<\/p>\n
What began as a plea for help on TikTok has since turned into a full-scale search across Miami.<\/p>\n
His grandmother said all contact stopped Saturday, and there has been no activity in his bank accounts. His phone last pinged Saturday in downtown Miami.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you see Jon, you\u2019re not going to think he\u2019s autistic,” Lowe-Christensen said. “He\u2019s very intelligent, but he doesn\u2019t see fear. He doesn\u2019t see that people are bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torres is described as 5-foot-6, 130-140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. <\/p>\n