A 14-year-old American boy who was presumed to have been “lured away” after walking off of a cruise ship at a German port has been found “safe and sound” after three days of searching, officials said.
Aydin Brown, who reportedly has autism, was last seen disembarking the Caribbean Princess in the cruise port of Rostock-Warnemünde in northern Germany on Thursday morning, according to Cruise Hive.
Rostock police said the teen had been a passenger on the cruise with his grandmother, who he argued with before leaving the ship, Fox News reported.
Surveillance images distributed by authorities on Saturday appeared to show Brown talking to an unknown man.
“My worst nightmare continues to unroll,” Anne Yaktiyol, a cousin of Brown, wrote in a social media post viewed by the outlet. “Aydin remains missing. It appears once he left the ship in Warnemunde, Germany, he may have been lured away.”
A happy update was given later on Saturday, with Princess Cruises announcing, “We are delighted that Aydin Brown has been found safe and sound,” to NBC News.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to German authorities for their swift response and exceptional efforts in locating Aydin after he disembarked in Warnemunde last Thursday morning,” the cruise line continued, adding that the teen has since been reunited with his family.
Brown’s grandmother had disembarked the shift on Thursday night to help look for him, and the Princess Cruises got his mother on a flight to Germany during the urgent search.
“We understand the distress this situation has caused and will continue to provide ongoing on-site support to the family during this challenging time,” the company said at the time.
