A teenager who police said was a 15-year-old “abandoned” at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport Wednesday is actually an 18-year-old from Raleigh, according to Mecklenburg County Youth and Family Services.
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Alex Burnett with the county said in an email to The Charlotte Observer on Thursday that the teenager was identified by the department and reunited with his family, who reported him missing.
The teen, whose identity was not released, was initially described as a 15-year-old boy by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police who led an overnight search at the airport for relatives.
CMPD located family members Thursday and notified them the teen was in the custody of the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services.
“The juvenile approached CMPD officers at the Charlotte airport and advised he had been abandoned,” police said in an Aug. 5 news release.
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“The juvenile stated he is 15 years old. He was unable to provide information regarding his guardian, personal information or home address.”
CMPD made a public plea for help identifying the teen, resulting in his identity being discovered, officials said.
Details of how he got to the airport have not been released. The CMPD public affairs department declined to provide further information.
This story was originally published August 6, 2026 at 6:18 AM with the headline “Officials say teen ‘abandoned’ at CLT is actually 18, has been reunited with family.”
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