BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Boynton Beach police announced Thursday a missing 12-year-old runaway boy who was gone for four days has been found in Fort Lauderdale in "good health."
Police tweeted just before 12 p.m. that Yvens Clervoir "has been located in Fort Lauderdale and is in good health. We have detectives heading that way now."
UPDATE: Yvens Clervoir has been located in Fort Lauderdale and is in good health. We have detectives heading that way now.
— bbpd (@BBPD) June 16, 2022
Thank you to the media and community for helping us share information. This truly was a community effort! https://t.co/XF5OgOGcnc
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Wednesday issued a Missing Child Alert for Clervoir, who ran away from his home in the 400 block of Northeast 11th Avenue around 5 p.m. Sunday.
The FBI, FDLE, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Florida Department of Children and Families, and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were all involved in the search and investigation.
CONTINUING COVERAGE: FBI joins search for missing 12-year-old Boynton Beach runaway boy
Boynton Beach police provided additional information Thursday afternoon, saying a keen observer spotted Clervoir in Tamarac and immediately called police.
According to police, it's believed Clervoir rode his bike all the way from Boynton Beach to Tamarac, a distance of more than 30 miles.
Detectives are with Clervoir and his family, ensuring they have the resources they need to keep the child safe.
"We know that Yvens is currently struggling with some personal issues," Boynton Beach police spokeswoman Stephanie Slater said at a news conference Thursday.
Slater said Clervoir has run away from home eight times since March and sometimes sleeps under trees, bridges, semi-trucks and cars.
"Usually he stays within a three-block radius of his home and returns within a few hours. But this time he's believed to be on a black bicycle and he hasn't returned in several days. And that is our big concern," Slater said.
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Over the last several days, federal, state and local agencies have searched for Clervoir both on the ground by going door-to-door, posting flyers in local businesses and searching waterways, along with aerial canvassing.
"He may not be in Boynton Beach anymore," Slater said Thursday, about an hour before Clervoir was eventually found.
Detective Sgt. Astrel Labbe said the FBI was brought in to assist with the search because of the child's age.
"We do have, sometimes, kids run away, and they're 15, 16. It's typical. But in this case, he's 12 years old. We don't usually have a 12-year-old not coming home the same day," Labbe said. "It's our priority to find kids that young."
