Search Intensifies for Missing 7-Year-Old in Randolph County

ASHEBORO N.C. (ACME NEWS) — Authorities and volunteers are continuing an intensive search for 7-year-old Liam King, who was reported missing on September 7 in the Forest Hills Drive area of Asheboro. The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office says every available resource is being used to find the boy, who is autistic, non-verbal, may run if approached.
According to investigators, Liam was last seen wearing a light blue, black, and gray Nike sweatshirt, a gray Nike t-shirt, black sweatpants, blue Sonic socks, and tan tennis shoes. He is described as approximately 3 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 55 pounds, with shoulder-length brownish-black hair and brown eyes.

He was visiting a residence in the Forest Hills Drive area when he disappeared. Sheriff Greg Seabolt said Liam had not wandered away from home before, but noted that he is fascinated with water — a trait sometimes associated with autism, according to the Sheriff's Office. Because of this, search teams have placed special focus on ponds and streams in the area. Dive teams have been deployed, and one pond is being drained to rule it out.

Search Efforts

The Sheriff’s Office is receiving assistance from numerous state, local, and federal partners, including dive teams, aviation units, and specialized search-and-rescue crews. Helicopters and airplanes have been used for aerial searches, though heavy tree cover has limited visibility and the usefulness of thermal imaging at night.

Sheriff Seabolt said more than 100 people have been working on the ground in grid searches spanning several square miles. Teams have been moving just a few feet apart, overlapping their efforts to ensure no area is missed. 

“We’ve had a huge number of people throughout the state volunteer their time and resources to help us look for this little boy,” Seabolt said. “We are treating this as a search and rescue, and it will remain that way until we have evidence that suggests otherwise”

Authorities are urging residents not to enter the active search zones unless directed by the command post, warning that even well-intentioned movement could compromise valuable tracking evidence. However, homeowners in surrounding areas are encouraged to carefully check their own property, including outbuildings, wooded areas, and ponds.

“Our focus is to find Liam as quickly as possible,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a press release. “No piece of information is too small or insignificant. If you have any information, call 911.”

Family and Community Response

Sheriff Seabolt confirmed that Liam’s family is devastated but holding out hope. “They are torn up, as you would expect. His mother has been here day and night, praying for the best,” he said. 

To aid in the search, deputies have even consulted with Liam’s family about his favorite music and cartoons, hoping familiar sounds might help draw him out if he is hiding.

Anyone with information about Liam King’s whereabouts is urged to immediately call 911, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office at 336-318-6699, or Crime Stoppers at 336-672-7463 to remain anonymous.