Timothy WallaceThe Department of Children’s Services is opening an investigation into the death of 9-year-old Timothy Wallace, the autistic boy who was struck by a train on Sunday night.
The investigation is a matter of protocol, since DCS opened and closed a case involving Timothy within the past three years, according to DCS Spokesman Rob Johnson.
“We have past history with the child within the past three years,” Johnson wrote in an email. “Because of that, we will review his case as part of our child death review.”
Timothy, who was extremely autistic and non-verbal, went missing from his aunt’s Sale Creek home on Sunday night around 10 p.m. He was struck by a train on nearby railroad tracks, and his body was found around 11 p.m., according to Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Janice Atkinson.
This was not the first time Timothy had walked away from home, according to Sheriff Jim Hammond. It’s not uncommon for children with autism to “elope,” or wander away from home, said Dave Buck, director of the Chattanooga Autism Center.