Police need your help finding two teenagers they say ran away from their group home.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Police need your help finding two teenagers they say ran away from their group home.
13-year-old Andy Carrasco and 15-year-old Santino Martinez reportedly left their group home on Oct. 17 and haven’t been seen since. Police say they believe they are together and were in YDI Summer House.
Carrasco was last seen wearing a black shirt with white letters, black shorts with white letters and black Nike shoes.
Martinez was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black jeans, black Nike shoes and was carrying a black and grey backpack.
The Children’s, Youth and Families Department confirmed both kids are in their care. As of Friday, they both still had runaway status.
Friday, CYFD said Carrasco doesn’t meet criteria for an Amber Alert or Brittany Alert. The department’s full statement is below.
For at least one of the kids, this isn’t the first time he has run away. Back in August, CYFD confirmed Carrasco jumped a fence while he was being transferred to UNM Children’s Psychiatric Center. He was found within four days.
Then CYFD said he was placed in a secure facility. But now, he’s missing again.
How were they able to leave?
APD’s missing person flyer said Carrasco is believed to have changed his clothes before leaving through his bedroom window.
YDI CEO Robert Chavez said he couldn’t comment on this specific case for privacy reasons, but said many of their programs “operate in nonsecure settings” and they “remain committed to implementing appropriate safety protocols.” His full statement is below.
Why was a child who reportedly ran from a secure psychiatric facility then placed in a low-level security group home just two months later?
“The devil is in the details of cases like this,” Dr. George Davis said.
Dr. George Davis is a child psychiatrist who has worked in some capacity with CYFD for 30 years. At one point, he was appointed its director of psychiatry.
He said there could be many reasons for why Carrasco ran away again, but where he was specifically placed could be because of a lack of options.
“Anything that is locked or that is secure, where a kid could not run away from, it’s a higher level of care and it’s a Medicaid service, and there is a deficit. Those and so they, CYFD oftentimes makes poor choices because of lack of options,” Davis said.
Monica Logroño: “Are you saying that in this case, or in some cases, they’re kind of backed into a corner?”
“I would say that’s a fair thing to say. Although it’s a corner of their own painting, you know what I mean? Because the failure of the department and of Medicaid, which is under the Health Care Authority, the failure of them to develop a treatment network or an array of services that is adequate for managing the kids that are in custody has been longstanding, and by longstanding I mean decades long.”
Without that established network, Davis believes we could keep seeing a reactive CYFD, and our kids could wind up facing the consequences.
“It’s a very reactive place, mainly because they have very, very important decisions to make about vulnerable children, and they don’t have the supports or the network of treatment programs that are necessary,” he said. “Every day at CYFD is a fire drill.”
As of Friday at 2 p.m., 26 kids in CYFD custody are on runaway status. Below is the checklist CYFD says it uses every time a child runs away. It includes calling law enforcement within 24 hours of notification.
Davis says the best placement for any child is foster parents, but it’s one of the big challenges CYFD faces. He says the other is a lack of caseworkers.
CYFD says it’s working on the latter. In August, a spokesperson said more than 400 caseworkers were hired, but due to training many of them haven’t been assigned cases yet.
Statement from CYFD spokesperson Jake Thompson:
“The child has not yet been located. We are deeply concerned anytime a child in our care decides to run from their placement and have diligently followed our protocols to try to find this child. We reported that he ran from his placement to law enforcement immediately and are in continual contact with them as they work to find him. We also notified other organizations that help find runaway children. He does not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert or a Brittany Alert, but the search is active, and our top priority is getting him back to a safe setting as quickly as possible.
Pursuant to NMSA 32A-4-33 we have an obligation to protect the child’s confidential information related to his level of care, time in foster care and placements in foster care. As of 2 p.m. on Friday, October 23, 26 youth in CYFD custody are on runaway status.”
Statement from YDI CEO Robert Chavez:
“Out of respect for the privacy, confidentiality, and safety of the children and youth we serve, YDI does not comment on, confirm, or deny whether any individual is currently residing or has previously resided in one of our residential programs.
Unfortunately, many of the youth served through our residential programs have experienced significant challenges and instability in their lives. Some may have a history of running away from their parents or legal guardians, foster care placements, residential or inpatient treatment facilities. These circumstances often reflect complex personal, family, behavioral health, and systemic challenges that require compassionate, individualized support and intervention.
YDI’s residential programs are designed to provide a safe, supportive, and structured environment for vulnerable youth while working collaboratively with families, legal guardians, child welfare agencies, and other community partners to promote their safety, stability, and well-being.
As a provider of youth residential programs and supportive services, YDI recognizes that many of our programs operate in nonsecure settings, and we remain committed to implementing appropriate safety protocols, supervision, and coordination with responsible authorities when concerns arise.
Above all, YDI remains committed to protecting the safety, rights, dignity, confidentiality, and well-being of every youth entrusted to our care.”
