The father of a missing teen spoke out after his son was seen on a man’s livestream, expressing gratitude for his safe return and sharing his worries.
The teen went missing for 6 weeks
Troy Coleman, a 17-year-old from Michigan, went missing for over six weeks earlier this year, sparking an extensive search by his family and authorities.
However, the teen was unexpectedly found after making a brief appearance on a popular streamer’s live broadcast.
Troy’s father, Weston Coleman, has now shared the harrowing details of what happened to his son during the time he was missing.
His father explained what happened
According to Weston, Troy left their home on May 17th, saying he was making a short trip to the store.
But when he didn’t return by nightfall, Weston grew worried.
“I came back two hours later and he wasn’t here, and I’ve been keeping a tight eye on him, so I was like, where’d he go?”
In an interview with Townsquare Media, Weston said his son is unarmed and not a threat to the public.
However, his son has had hallucinations before and urgently needs his medication, which he doesn’t have with him.
Surveillance footage showed that Troy had boarded several public buses, eventually making his way to Atlanta the next morning.
However, his name was never entered into the missing person’s system, leaving his family completely in the dark about his whereabouts.
Weston revealed that his son had developed an odd fascination with finding celebrities, prompting him to search for information about Key West, Florida.
So Weston and a friend traveled there to look for Troy, but ultimately returned home to Flint empty-handed.
“I didn’t quit looking for him the whole time,” Weston said.
“I know what he went through, and he went through a lot of nights and days.”
The missing teen’s family almost gave up on searching for him
Initially, Troy’s family feared the worst, but 50 days after his disappearance, Troy was spotted by a viewer who recognized him and alerted the authorities.
“Sometimes you think he’s alive, sometimes you think he’s dead. It was horrible.”
Weston then called the Miami Beach Police Department, and Troy’s brother sent them video and photos to confirm his identity.
“I woke up that afternoon to Flint Township [police] pounding on my door saying that they found him,” Weston recounted.
Troy was robbed when arriving in Atlanta
It turns out that when Troy arrived in Atlanta, he was robbed of the $600 and clothes he had brought with him.
Troy managed to make his way to Miami, where he was arrested twice, once for sleeping in a part after hours, and again for petty theft of food.
During these encounters, Troy refused to give his real name, instead insisting he was “John Doe.”
Viewer spotted the missing teen on a man’s livestream
In the live stream, people saw Troy with parts of his skin missing on his ears, nose, and shoulders.
His brown hair even turned white in places due to prolonged exposure to the Florida sun.
Since July 4th, Troy, who is 6’4″ tall and weighs 165 lbs with blue eyes, and was wearing neon green shorts in the live stream.
He also has been hospitalized to recover from the physical and mental anguish he endured.
Troy suddenly showed up on streamer FaZe Lacy’s livestream
Previously, Troy appeared on the live stream of streamer FaZe Lacy in Miami.
While FaZe Lacy and his friend Clix were dining outdoors, a young man in bright green shorts walked up to them and chatted briefly.
Lacy didn’t think much of the interaction at the time. But later, he received an email from Troy’s brother, Trent.
Trent said he believed the man in the video was his missing 17-year-old brother Troy, who suffers from schizophrenia.
Trent explained that Troy had disappeared from the family home in Flint, Michigan 3 months ago, and the family had even feared he was dead.
Lacy shared Trent’s email and his response on social media.
“3 months ago a 17-year-old kid went missing and was put on homicide. Yesterday on stream he came up to me and Clix and now his family knows he is alive and in Miami,” he wrote.
The power of the internet has helped reunite this missing teenager with his family, even through an unexpected Twitch livestream.