Boy, 17, Found Alive After He Fled Home for 6 Weeks When He Accidentally Smoked Synthetic Pot: Reports
A 17-year-old boy has finally been found more than six weeks after he fled his United Kingdom home
Deante James experienced hallucinations and started hearing voices after he smoked a joint that he didn't realize was laced with a synthetic drug that can cause psychosis
Now he's "absolutely fine," his mom saysA 17-year-old boy who was missing for more than six weeks after leaving his home has finally been found safe, according to reports.
Deante James first disappeared on Monday, March 31, from his family home in Enfield, England, after smoking what he thought was marijuana but was laced with Spice — a synthetic cannabinoid that can cause psychosis. He was found alive on Saturday, May 17, after his family and officials conducted a weekslong search, his family tells Mirror, the Daily Record and Irish Sunday People.
When contacted by PEOPLE, the Metropolitan Police declined to provide further information in deference to the family's privacy.
'I'm so happy and relieved, thank God we've found him. When I got the call from the police to say he'd been found I was over the moon – I couldn't stop crying,' the teen's 36-year-old mom, Vandana Bhogowoth, told the Mirror. She credits the outlet's missing persons campaign for helping in the recovery of her son.
'Thanks so much for everything the Mirror has done. It pushed the police to realize who he was even though his name had been entered onto the system incorrectly,' she told the Mirror. 'It's great news and he's now getting the help he needs."
James' troubles began when he smoked the synthetic drug earlier this spring. The driven teen, who enjoys working out, changed after the Spice hit his system, Irish Sunday People reported. He began hearing voices and hallucinating and was hospitalized. Doctors told his concerned family that he had signs of psychosis, according to the report. When he returned home, he fled without money or his phone.
Three days after he left his Enfield home, James was stopped by the British Transport Police "on suspicion of fare evasion" and arrested after providing false details, officials confirm to PEOPLE. He was then let go because authorities did not know he was a missing person.
"Once his identity was confirmed, he was dearrested and allowed to leave," the British Transport Police tells PEOPLE via email. "Although the teenager was reported missing to the Met Police prior to being arrested, no 'missing' marker was found when officers searched for his name on the police database."
While James' mom is happy that her son is now safe, she is upset that the miscommunication endangered her son. In the weeks that he was missing, she feared that he had been kidnapped or was dead, the Daily Record reported.
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Now home, the teen is 'absolutely fine,' she said.
'He's recovering and he's going to get back to his absolute best self, so I'm really happy, positive and extremely grateful to everyone,' Bhogowoth told the outlet. 'He's looking forward to getting his life back on track and following his dreams.'
His family is excited to celebrate James' upcoming birthday.
'We're going to spoil him,' she told the Daily Record.
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