Alamance County deputies seek missing Burlington boy last seen riding bicycle
Deputies are looking for 13-year-old James Brown III, last seen late Wednesday on a bicycle near Mitchell Street in Burlington, wearing Ice Cube shorts and a black shirt.
Alamance County deputies are asking residents to watch for 13-year-old James Brown III, who left his Mitchell Street home in Burlington about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and was last seen riding a bicycle in the area.
Brown was described as wearing black-and-white shorts featuring an image of Ice Cube and a black shirt whose full description was not available. Deputies said the boy was last spotted late Wednesday night, a detail that narrows the search to Burlington streets, driveways and nearby neighborhoods where someone may have seen a child on a bicycle after dark.
A sheriff’s office spokesperson said Brown was not believed to be endangered and that no criminal activity was involved. Even so, investigators were asking the public to take the case seriously and report any possible sighting quickly, especially from anyone driving, biking or awake in Burlington around the time he disappeared.
The search comes through the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, led by Sheriff Terry S. Johnson, who has served in that role since 2002. The agency’s public directory lists Central Communications at 336-570-6777, while the sheriff’s office main number is 336-570-6300. Anyone with information can also contact Alamance County Crime Stoppers at 336-229-7100 or call 911 if Brown is seen.
Missing-child cases in North Carolina often move fast because early sightings can make the difference between a short search and a longer one. The N.C. Center for Missing Persons, which has operated since 1985, works with local, state and federal law enforcement and receives more than 10,000 missing-person reports each year. Nationally, NamUs serves as a centralized repository and support program for missing, unidentified and unclaimed persons cases.
Burlington families have seen similar scares before. A missing 10-year-old boy in the city was found safe last year, a reminder that these alerts can change quickly when neighbors pay attention to a child’s clothing, bicycle and last known location. For James Brown III, the key details are simple: age 13, Mitchell Street, a bicycle, black-and-white Ice Cube shorts and a black shirt.
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