Police K-9 have joined a Delaware County community in the search for a missing 8th grader who walked away from his home four days ago and hasn't been seen since.
"Our son has now been missing for four days and three very difficult and cold nights," Cayman Naib's parents posted on the "Find Cayman" Facebook page.
The 5'7", 110 pound 13-year-old left his Newtown Square, Delaware County home Wednesday night. He left without his phone and has not been accessing his email or social media accounts.
The 13-year-old has been under pressure recently to get his school work done, according to his mom, who said Cayman may have feared having to admit he was behind and face the consequences both at home and The Shipley School.
"We think his leaving might have been sparked by an email that said he was going to fail a class if he didn't get something in by today," said his mother, Becky Naib. She was the last to see Cayman, who was doing homework before dinner. When the family sat down to eat around 7:15, Cayman was gone.
"We were trying to rule out that he got hit by a car and was on the side of the road or something. We had a massive search today," Naib said.
Becky Naib said Cayman has a tight group of friends who have all been interviewed by police and the school. They don't believe he's hiding out with anyone from school.
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"The kids and the school have been incredibly supportive," she said.
With temperatures in the single digits at night, Cayman's mother said she thinks he'd seek shelter.
"I think unless he's hurt somewhere, I think he found a safe place to stay."
Newtown Township Police suspect Cayman ran away and say they have no reason to believe otherwise.
Still, the Philadelphia division of the FBI joined the search on Friday and a more professionally organized team, which includes police K-9, began combing the search area more extensively Saturday. The civil air patrol was assisting in the search as well. A bureau official tells NBC10 they are providing forensic investigation support as they often do with cases of missing juveniles.
Volunteers helped search for Cayman Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. A staging area was set up at Episcopal Academy at 1785 Bishop White Dr., Newtown Sq., Pa.
"The one positive thing about this is how supportive our community has been," said a post on the Facebook page. "We are overwhelmed. We thank you and love you."
Anyone with information on Cayman is asked to call police at 610-356-0602.
