In November 2025, Charlie Ryan, an autistic juvenile, left his home on foot, and was reported missing. SJSO deputies responded and located Charlie struggling to stay afloat in a pond. Deputies rushed in and rescued Charlie, undoubtably saving his life.
“Within two minutes, he was out of the house and out of sight. By the ten-minute mark, he was already in the water, and the deputy was getting him out,” Charlie’s father, Michael Ryan said. “When you think about how quickly all that happened, it’s just crazy.”
That same day, with assistance from the St. Augustine Police Department, Charlie was enrolled in local programs in place to assist law enforcement in quickly locating individuals with disabilities that may prevent them from being able to seek help on their own.
Project Lifesaver is designed to locate individuals who wander. Participants wear a bracelet on their wrist or ankle equipped with a small transmitter that emits a frequency signal. If the individual goes missing, trained law enforcement personnel respond to the area and use the signal to locate them. Participants must have a full-time caregiver (spouse, parent, guardian). Upon registration, the caregiver will receive education and training necessary to understand the equipment.
Register: https://www.sjso.org/project-lifesaver/
K9 SCENT KITS preserve an individual’s unique scent using a personal item. Scent kits are designed for K9s to be able to track missing subjects. These are available to qualifying individuals who have been diagnosed with a disability that would impair them from being able to seek help for themselves.
Apply: https://www.sjso.org/k9-scent-kit/
The SAFE Program enhances communication between first responders and residents with special needs. Upon registration, individuals or guardians will receive a sticker for their home and registered vehicles, which provides important information to law enforcement during contact.
Enroll: https://www.sjso.org/safe-program/
Registration for each of these programs only takes a few minutes and can make the difference during an emergency.
“I would strongly recommend Project Lifesaver. Between the radio beacon that he’s wearing on his ankle and the SCENT Kit that we have for the K9 units, that if he was to get out, I’m confident we could find him relatively quickly, especially if we don’t know what direction he’s going,” Ryan said. “There’s really no other way I can think of quickly locating somebody, especially not knowing woods, creeks, ponds. Its given us peace of mind.”