Avonte Oquendo was 14 years old and had autism. He is from Queens, New York. On October 4, 2013, Avonte went missing from the Riverview School in Queens, New York. Public safety officials and caring New York citizens conducted a massive search for Avonte throughout the Fall and into the Winter. About 100 days after Avonte Oquendo disappeared his remains were discovered on January 16, 2014, on the banks of the East River. The medical examiner was unable to determine the cause of his death. Avonte Oquendo is the son of Daniel Oquendo and Vanessa Fontaine.
Tribute:
"Avonte was a great human being. We are grateful for his life, for his courage and for the act of goodness and kindness that his life and tragic death evoked (Edward Cardinal Egan, The New York Daily News, 1/25/2014)."
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