On January 29, 2023, the Midland Police Department announced they needed help from the public in locating the parents or guardians of an unidentified boy.
The young man was found, alone, near Ward and Shandon Avenue in Midland, Texas. He is non-verbal and unable to communicate where he lives. The young man is estimated to be between the age of 13-17 years old.
When asked his name, he writes the name "Cordarius." No one has come forward to claim the boy or identify him.
When his picture hit social media, users immediately connected him to a boy who disappeared from Florida on January 10, 2009, named Adji Desir, at the age of 6. Adji is mentally disabled, almost non-verbal, and unable to communicate. When Adji vanished, he understood Haitian and Creole, could speak a few English words and could nod his head to indicate yes or no.
He was last seen at his grandmother's home in the Farmers Village neighborhood in the 800 block of Grace Street in Immokalee, Florida around 5:15 pm. Adji went outside to play with the neighborhood children. After about 30 minutes, she checked on Adji but the boy had vanished without a trace. His mother, Marie Neida, rushed to the house and the family searched for two hours for little Adji. When they were unable to locate him, they contacted the police.
A massive search was launched. Authorities, the family, and the community searched for Adji. Investigators went door-to-door, and searched by foot, by helicopter, boat, and ATV. They used K-9 units and the latest technological tools to locate the little boy, but he has never been found.
Adji goes by the nickname Ji Ji. He was afraid of strangers and would hide when they came around. He was last seen wearing blue shorts, blue sneakers, and a shirt with yellow stripes.
For 14 years, his disappearance has remained a mystery. Rumors circulated that he may have been taken by a Haitian family member and was seen at a store with a woman, but none of those have been proven and police do not suspect any family members in his disappearance.
Social media users are comparing photos of the unidentified boy with Adji Desir and feel the resemblance is uncanny. Some think it could not be the same person.
"That's DEFINITELY him," one Facebook post reads.
"No way this is the same person. Eyes, mouth, everything is different," another post says.
The photo and information were enough to make Marie, Adji's mother, contact the Midland Police Department.
"I'm (on the phone) with police department now," she responded to a comment on Facebook on Monday.
The Midland Police Department issued the following statement on Tuesday, January 31, 2023:
"The nonverbal teen found in Midland, Texas on Sunday has still not been identified. His family has not been found. Officials have collected DNA and fingerprints from the teen. When asked to write his name, the child wrote the name Cordarius several times. The city says detectives have followed up on information received from the public and surrounding agencies but have not been able to identify him. The investigation is ongoing."
Authorities nor Adji Desir's mother have announced if they believe the boy is Adji Desir or if any DNA testing has been done or planned for that reason.
Adji Desir would be 20 years old now. He was 3'0" and weighed 45 pounds when he vanished.
If you have any information, please contact the Collier County Sheriff's Office at 239-793-9300.
The unidentified, non-verbal young man is currently in Child Protective custody in Midland, Texas. If you have any information on his identity, please contact the Midland Police Department at 432-685-7108.
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