Mother of missing Meadow Lakes boy found safe says bullying reason son ran away

On Thursday morning, residents in the Meadow Lakes area woke up to reports that a 9-year old boy had run away from his home late Wednesday night.

Neighbors in the surrounding community were asked to keep an eye out for the boy, identified as Corwin Vent, that included utilizing their home and business video feeds.

Corwin was safely located hiding in an RV in a wooded area in the Meadow Lakes area early Thursday afternoon.

The response to the missing boy was massive. Throughout the morning and into the afternoon, a multi-agency response was called in to assist with the search. Agencies included West Lakes Fire Department, the Alaska State Troopers, Mat-Su Borough Emergency Services, Northpaw K9, Alaska Solstice Search Dogs, the Alaska Army National Guard, to name a few, along with family and friends.

When word came out on social media, many in the Mat-Su Valley were also quick to offer assistance, volunteering at the command center and searching their own properties, while others simply offered prayers for Corwin's quick and safe return.

Not all who commented were offering positivity or prayers, but instead questioning and blaming the family, and thought that the boy was running away from turmoil in the home, something Corwin’s mother Milissa says is not true, and that she and her family are dismissing the negative comments as much as possible.

“Family that knows us, knows.”

She said that the family recently moved back to Alaska from Arizona, and that the transition has been hard for Corwin.

“Corwin was wanting to go back to Arizona. He misses his family, friends, the house, old school and the dirt bike track there. It’s been a hard transition here although he’s happy to be around his Alaska family.”

She also said that her son has had a hard time in his new school.

“The school here according to him has been hard, he was getting bullied and into fights, always sticking up for himself not starting the fights, leading to getting into trouble and grades falling.”

Before the bullying, Corwin was an honor roll student.

Milissa has expressed frustration with the school in dealing with the bullying, saying:

“I’ve made attempts to go to the school, calls, emails, reports and complaints.”

Things came to a head on Wednesday, so near the end of the school year.

“He told me 4 times the day he ran away that he wants to go back to Arizona and I told him ‘we live here now son.’”

Later that night, around 10 or 10:30 p.m., Corwin ran away.

“He left and ran away. I thought he was asleep, Willow (his sister) saw him and gave the description of his clothes to the Troopers.”

Wednesday night and into Thursday, family, friends, neighbors, and concerned community members rallied with the multi-agency response to find Milissa’s missing son.

Corwin was later found by an Alaska State Trooper.

His mother explains:

“He made a moss bed and slept outdoors because he did get turned around and lost in the woods and didn’t know the direction back home. He woke up to seeing police lights flashing and didn’t think they were for him. Then he realized they were trying to find him with so many police, helicopters and dogs; he got scared and was hiding and running in the woods. He hid inside a hole in the tree and would peek out. They would get closer, so he would run somewhere else. He still didn’t know the direction home, and didn’t hear us yelling his name or see our vehicles so he didn’t want to come out.”

Now that school is over for the school year, Corwin and his family are making a return trip to Arizona, where he will see his family and friends and, in her words, “just going to do better and get settled.”

“Thank you for all the prayers and concerns. We are happy to have my son home and I appreciate everyone who loves him.”

Milissa says that the bullying Corwin has been experiencing is not limited to her son, but that other members of her family have been called names and bullied.

“My kids are Alaska Native, and my nieces are beautiful Black Indigenous girls. They get bullied and called names, my son has been punched, and the staff, while some are amazing, are bullies to each other and argue with the children. The environment is toxic.”

Milissa is troubled by the lack of acceptance she has experienced since moving back from Arizona.

“Especially coming from a diverse community in Arizona, where there were much brown skin and acceptance and diversity. The Mat-Su area is primarily white. I have pure white family members. Nothing against white people as I am part white folk myself,” she says, adding, “That’s the problem. That’s the trouble. The community that came together to find my son is also the same community to drive him there just a different group of it.”

To those who are posting negative thoughts and comments, Milissa has this message:

“Everyone wants to know the story, and to the people putting me down, (they) need to look at their kids instead and question if they are raising bullies.”