A boy missing from LaGrange County for 19 years has been found alive and well, now grown up and married in Minnesota.
Indiana State Police say back in July of 1994, then five-year-old Richard Landers was taken by his grandparents out of state and raised by them. Arrests warrants were issued for the grandparents, Richard and Ruth Landers, but when none of them had been located by 2008, the charges were dropped.
It was just September of last year, when the boy's step-father, Richard Harter, gave police his step-son's Social Security Card that there was a break in the case. Investigators found a man in Long Prairie, Minnesota using the same Social Security Number and birth date as Richard Landers Jr.
The man was confirmed to be Richard Landers Jr. by his grandparents who were also found to be living in Minnesota under assumed names.
"It's nice to put closure to this case and now the family can begin the process of re-connecting with their loved one" said LaGrange County Sheriff Terry Martin.
There are currently 24 Indiana children listed as missing with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Anyone with any information about any missing child is encouraged to contact their local law enforcement agency, the Indiana State Police (www.in.gov/isp) or NCMEC.
