MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The Department of Children and Families has opened an investigation after a 14-year-old boy was found on a woman's doorstep in Miami Gardens.
Joshua Williams's father, who is the principal at Norwood Elementary School, said he learned Wednesday during a faculty meeting that his son had been found.
He said his son has emotional behavior issues and has left home in the past. He wasn't surprised to hear that his son turned up outside a stranger's home, claiming to not know his name or where he lived.
According to Dr. Kevin Williams, Joshua had gotten into trouble at school earlier in the week and didn't come home.
"The teacher called me because he was using some profanity and refusing to do his work," Williams said. "The teacher put him on the phone and I told him that we would deal with it when he gets home. When he gets himself in trouble, that's his reaction."
Relatives said they had reported Joshua missing before he was found.
"He went to school Monday and didn't come home after Monday," Williams said. "I contacted the police department. He's done this before. And the school board police, so they would have a report on it."
Miami Beach police said the boy was found on the doorstep of a woman's Miami Gardens home Tuesday.
The woman said she asked him where his parents were, but he couldn't remember where his mother lived. She then tried to call a telephone number for the boy's father that he had given her, but nobody answered, so she decided to take Joshua to the Fontainebleau, where she said the boy indicated that he might be staying with his family.
Officers checked a room at the hotel, but they were unsuccessful in finding a parent or legal guardian.
Joshua was then placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Families.
"It's just gone on and on and on," Williams said. "I've been to court before concerning it, and, in all honesty, I've been trying to go through the judicial system to get him assistance. It's kind of hard to get him assistance."
It's unclear when Joshua will be reunited with his family.