NEW YORK – Sen. Charles Schumer says new legislation proposed in the name of a New York City boy who disappeared from his school and was found dead three months later would fund voluntary tracking devices for children who have autism.
Schumer is joining the mother of 14-year-old Avonte Oquendo on Sunday to announce "Avonte's Law." The legislation would create a program that provides tracking devices and expands support services for families with autistic children.
Schumer says it would be similar to a federal program that tracks seniors who have Alzheimer's disease.
Avonte walked away from his Queens school in October. His body was found in the East River earlier this month. About 200 mourners gathered Saturday for his funeral.
Investigators are still trying to determine how he died.