2 non-verbal children found alone, wandering streets in Dayton; police investigating

DAYTON — Two non-verbal children are at Dayton Children’s Hospital after being found wandering in the streets Monday.

Morgan Rowlison told News Center 7 she pulled into a min-mart on East Fifth Street about 8 a.m. and she saw the first child running in and out of traffic.

Rowlison said the little boy was six to seven-years-old, non-verbal, and appeared to have special needs. She also said he was only wearing a dirty diaper.

“I went into the store, bought a shirt, grabbed pants from my boyfriend’s car and dressed him,” she said.

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Rowlison said things turned even more frantic when someone else came in and reported seeing another little boy dressed the same way a couple blocks up a side street from the mini-mart.

Her boyfriend and another man took off and returned moments later with a second, almost identical child, in the same condition.

Rowlison helped clothe the second little boy too.

“They were twins, no doubt in my mind,” she said.

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Rowlison and store employees called 911. They said Dayton police responded right away and were very caring.

She said the boys could not communicate verbally, though one appeared to try to sign his name, and officers decided to move the children.

Rowlison is hopeful she will hear a good update about the little boys’ health and their home situation.

She is very happy she was sent home from her nurses’ assistant job early Monday morning.

“Who knows what would have happened to these kids, that’s just where I was meant to be,” she said.

Rowlison doesn’t want to think about the boys being hit by a vehicle or even something worse.

News Center 7 reached out to Dayton police, and a spokesperson for the department said the boys’ parents have been identified.

The spokesperson also said both children, who are 12-years-old, are “not in any immediate danger.”

The spokesperson added they will investigate any allegations of misconduct but it’s too early to know if anyone faces trouble.

We will continue updating this story as we learn more.

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