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Enzo Larduet Rivera, an 11-year-old boy with autism spectrum disorder, was found safe and sound this Sunday in Santiago de Cuba, less than 24 hours after he disappeared around 1:20 PM near his home.
The minor was last seen playing alone in the area near the base of the Escalinata and the Terminal on 4th Street, in the Sorribe neighborhood, where he lives with his family at 107 altos, 8th Street, between Primera and Carretera Central.
At the time of his disappearance, Enzo was wearing burgundy shorts and red flip-flops, without a shirt or sweater.
The child does not have the ability for verbal communication, although he responds to his name, often hums or sings, and remains calm when approached with gentleness and affection.
The situation was particularly urgent because the medication the minor is taking causes drowsiness. A preliminary witness reported seeing a child with similar characteristics walking in the Martí area, although the information was not confirmed by the authorities.
Her mother, Melisa Rivera Salazar, 26 years old, confirmed the happy conclusion via phone to Aris Arias Batalla, who had spread the search alert on Facebook: "Enzo is home and with family."
Melisa also expressed her gratitude to all the people of Santiago and Facebook profiles "for their immediate attention and collaboration in the search for information about the unfortunate incident."
The civic mobilization on social media was immediate and massive, following the usual pattern in Cuba where Facebook serves as the primary tool for searching for missing persons in the absence of effective official protocols.
The Gender Observatory of Alas Tensas has documented this reality, stating that "publishing, sharing, and maintaining public pressure" on social media is the only real mechanism of mobilization available to Cuban families.
The vulnerability of children with autism spectrum disorder to situations of getting lost is particularly high. International studies indicate that almost half of these children get lost at least once after the age of four, with the risk of drowning, road accidents, and other fatal injuries.
The lack of verbal communication and the inability to perceive danger are the main risk factors.
Santiago de Cuba has been the scene of several similar cases in recent months. In November 2025, five-year-old Yordan Corrales Ricardo, was missing for more than a week before being found safe in the municipality of Songo-La Maya.
The case of Enzo also highlights the limitations of the Cuban system in addressing autism: the official prevalence of the disorder on the island is estimated at 0.4 per 10,000 children, a figure significantly lower than the global rate of one per 160 reported by the World Health Organization, suggesting a possible underdiagnosis.
The country has only nine specialized educational institutions nationwide for children and adolescents with this condition.
The happy outcome of Enzo Larduet's case, located in less than 24 hours thanks to the civic solidarity organized through social networks, contrasts with the absence of official alerts and accessible records of missing persons in Cuba, a shortcoming that Cuban families are forced to address on their own whenever a loved one goes missing.
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