A Harlem family, community, and local activists are calling upon New Yorkers on Thursday to help search for a young autistic man missing since Monday.
“Son, I love you. I just want to see him home, and I know he’s suffering. So, please, please call 911,” Naima Wilkie said of her missing boy, Isaac, on Aug. 6. She clung to a photo of 20-year-old Isaac Wilkie while standing inside of Saint Nicholas Park and wept as she was held by supporters.
Isaac Wilkie has been missing since Monday when he walked out of his Harlem home at around 7 p.m. on Aug. 3. His last words were: “Mom, is dinner ready?”
According to Naima Wilki, he was last spotted on the M66 near 68 Street and York Avenue early on Thursday morning. He appeared disheveled and agitated, a witness said, who did not realize he was missing at the time.
“My son is acting erratic, and he’s going through a severe withdrawal. The withdrawals are horrific. Please call 911 first, so he can get medical attention, preferably to Harlem Hospital or the closest hospital. But he is a very kind and friendly person, outgoing. He loves to talk. He’s verbal, and I just need the community’s help,” Naima Wilkie added.
Prominent Black Lives Matter activists Hawk and Chivona Newsome joined the search and echoed the call for New Yorkers to seek out Isaac.
“My son is a 21-year-old non-verbal autistic person. I can tell you that having your autistic child go missing is a parent’s worst nightmare. But we, as a community, as New Yorkers, can help find Isaac. It’s a serious problem, but it’s not a hard solution. All it takes is New Yorkers posting him to your social media, sending it to everybody, spreading the word,” Hawk Newsome said.
Together, a group of volunteers spreads out across, posting missing-person posters and handing them out to passersby in hopes that it will reach the right person.
Isaac Wilkie’s principal, Amanda Friedman, also made a desperate plea to both the public and her student.
“Isaac, you are not in trouble. Nobody is mad at you. You come back to school. You go to your sister. You go to your mother. You come home. We will celebrate you, we will move through this, Isaac. We love you,” Friedman said.
Police describe Isaac Wilkie as approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing about 220 pounds. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a cream-colored shirt, and green sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
