Who is Jahmari Carter? Missing Kentucky teen with autism found safe after Ian Alert issued

Police said Carter was last seen just before 10am Wednesday on Conley Street. He is described as 5’7″ tall with brown hair and brown eyes and has autism.

According to Fox56, around 1:15 pm on Wednesday, the Lexington Police Department announced that Jahmari had been found.

“Jahmari has been found SAFE and is being reunited with his family. Thank you to the media and everyone who shared this!” department leaders said.

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The system was launched in Kentucky and was created in memory of nine-year-old Ian Sousis, a boy with autism who drowned in the Ohio River after running away from a children’s home in June 2022.

To establish the alert system, a bill passed in the state legislature was signed into law by Andy Beshear in July 2025. Ian’s grandmother, Rhonda O’Brien who spent two years advocating for a system that would fill the gap between standard alerts and the risks faced by children on the autism spectrum.

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Steve Hensley who is the director of Kenton County Emergency Management said the system can notify entire counties within minutes.

“It fills a critical gap in emergency response,” Hensley added.

Officials say the Ian Alert system is designed to help quickly find missing children who may be at risk.