COVINGTON, Ky. — A Kentucky bill would establish a statewide network to notify the public when a child with autism goes missing, in addition to established services like AMBER alert.

What You Need To Know

  • Rep. Candy Massaroni, R-Bardstown, introduced House Bill 682 Feb. 22 

  • The bill would establish an “IAN alert” system, a statewide network that would notify the public as soon as a child with autism has been declared missing

  • Rhonda O'Brien, a grandmother who lost her grandson after he wandered off from a children's facility, said her goal is to help other families avoid tragedy 

  • There is a federal lawsuit against the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky for Sousis' death

A grandmother who lost her grandson almost two years ago to drowning said the bill is necessary to keep kids who wander off safe.

Rhonda O'Brien and her husband gained guardianship of their three grandchildren in 2016, moving the family to Kentucky.

Their youngest, Ian Sousis, was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old.

O’Brien said Sousis was smart, kind, loved the outdoors and wanted to be a superhero.

“That’s what he thought he was going to be was Spider Man," O'Brien said. "He was going to save people." 

The family noticed Sousis had a tendency to run away at an early age and learned it was a common condition with autistic children, often called elopement. 

“Every opportunity, he just loved to run," O'Brien said. "He just ran. It didn’t matter where he was or what we were doing. Something would just come over him, and he would just elope.”

O’Brien found it difficult to keep her grandson safe, she said. Living in Lincoln County, she had limited resources related to child services.

“That was my whole goal almost every single day,” she said. “How am I going to keep Ian safe?”

O’Brien said Sousis eloped twice from kindergarten. She later filed for dependency with the state of Kentucky. Sousis wound up at the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky in Covington.

“He had eloped from there seven times," she said. "The seventh time, he was successful, and he made it to the river.”

Sousis drowned in the Ohio River in June 2022 at just 9 years old. There was a video recording of him walking through a neighbor’s yard.

“But there was no alert; there was no alert available because he did not meet the criteria of an AMBER alert," O'Brien said. "(For) an AMBER alert, the child has to be abducted and in harm’s way."

Since then, O’Brien has worked with State Rep. Candy Massaroni, R-Bardstown, who introduced House Bill 682 Feb. 22. It proposes an "IAN alert" system, a statewide network that would notify the public through media and highway signs as soon as a child with autism spectrum disorder has been declared missing.

“He could’ve been saved, and I think that we can save lives," O'Brien said. "I think that the state of Kentucky, we can spearhead this action that is needed."

"It could make a difference because one life matters to me. If we could’ve saved Ian, that would’ve mattered to me, and I really don’t want any other families to have to go through what my family has been through.”

O’Brien said she her grandson every day. She takes solace in the fact that he wanted to be a superhero, and now he has the chance to be one.

“Yeah, he is saving people," O'Brien said. "He is. I thought he’d be here with me, but it’s OK because I’m not going to stop.”

Her petition to establish the network has nearly 2,000 signatures. 

There is a federal lawsuit against the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky for Sousis' death, which O'Brien said she's unable to comment on due to the ongoing case. Spectrum News 1 has requested comment. 

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