Runaway teen returns home
SEQUIM, Wash. -- Jonathan Chrysler, the 15-year-old boy who ran away from home has returned, his parents said late Monday evening.
Chrysler ran away on Feb. 20, and reportedly used the website The Runaway Guide and told his parents that the site aided him in leaving home. The site's creator, Leif, has maintained that his website is not a guide for runaways and has the disclaimer, "The Runaway Guide does not condone or encourage literally running away if you are not an adult."
On Feb. 22, Chrysler called his parents from a cell phone with a Montana area code. He told them he was near Spokane and his father said that during the call, one of the purported men his son was with grabbed the phone from his son. Chrysler's father then contacted police.
However, Sgt. Dave Campbell of the Sequim Police Department told the Peninsula Daily News that the department's investigation raised questions about the validity of the boy's story.
On Tuesday, The Runaway Guide creator said:
“The main reason why I wrote this is because I felt I could provide a much better guide than the at least three other guides that were previously available to kids on the Internet -- a guide that would highlight the dangers and difficulties of running away, one that would ultimately help dissuade kids from running away. And I am very confident that it does just this. I don’t believe that my site pushes kids to run away any more so than by watching 'Into The Wild.' I am confident that my site ultimately dissuades kids on the verge to reconsider their plans. Preventing kids from doing what I did is one of the main reasons why I started this site. I know what the street is like and I hope kids will learn from my mistakes.”