Missing Child Alert Issued for 15 Year Old Richard “Ricky” Peter Henson Missing Since 2/19/15 in Fort Pierce, FL … #FindRicky (Found Safe in Orlando, FL)

A statewide missing child alert has been issued for 15 year old Richard Peter Henson, who has been missing since Thursday, February 19, 2015 in St. Lucie County, Florida. Henson was last seen around 5 PM in the 4000 block of Greenwood Drive in Fort Pierce on Thursday playing basketball near his home northwest of Sunrise Boulevard and Edwards Road. “Ricky” Henson lives with his guardians, an uncle and his grandmother in Port Pierce. According to the sheriff’s office, his cell phone was found nearby in the grass where he had been playing basketball. The sheriff’s office released a flier which describes Henson as endangered and a victim of a ‘possible abduction.’ The sheriff said, “He literally just vanished from playing basketball.”

Description: Henson has brown hair and hazel eyes. He is 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 140 pounds and has braces. According to the sheriff’s office, he was last seen wearing blue jeans, a green T-shirt and black-and-white Nike sneakers.

Richard Peter Henson was last seen in the 4000 block of Greenwood Drive in Fort Pierce on Thursday.

He vanished at 5 p.m. Thursday after playing basketball down the street from his home, located northwest of Sunrise Boulevard and Edwards Road, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said.

“He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a green shirt, and black and white Nike sneakers,” an alert from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said. “He may be carrying a black and white basketball.”

Missing Child Alert – Richard Peter Henson

Twitter –  #FindRicky.

UPDATE I: Press Conference Friday night, Sheriff Ken Mascara said the search continues for missing 15-year-old Ricky Henson.

Sheriff Ken Mascara said that “Ricky” Peter Henson uncharacteristically left his cell phone near where he was playing basketball. Sheriff Mascara stated that CART has been issued, Child Abduction Response Team. Specialized assistance from FTLE has also been requested with regards to analyzing Ricky’s phone.  Sheriff Ken Mascara said, “He literally just vanished from playing basketball.”

Sheriff Ken Mascara stated that one of the main focus of police were interviewing the sexual predators that live in the area. Within a 2 mile radius there are approximately 60 sexual predators.

Here is a list of known sexual predators in the zip code area.

Click HERE to watch VIDEO from WPTV, Channel 5

Anyone with information is urged to call the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office at 772-465-5770, 772-462-3230 or 911.

UPDATE I: Missing Fort Pierce teen found safe in Orlando.

Richard “Ricky” Peter Henson has been found safe and returned to his guardians in Fort Pierce, FL.

The St. Lucie Sheriff Office said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in conjunction with Sheriff Ken Mascara has found the missing 15-year-old teen Richard “Ricky” Henson safe in Orlando.

St. Lucie sheriff: Teen lured to Orlando by social media “friend”.

Ricky Henson was lured to a northern Orlando apartment of a “college student” he met on social media, St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara says at a evening press conference.

The 15-year-old was not harmed but wanted to come home. Neither Mascara nor the lead Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent would identify the student. While saying he wasn’t a registered sexual offender or predator, Mascara said he believes the student was up to no good.

Mascara credited FDLE with tracing social media and finding the address for the man, who is being interviewed by agents but has not been arrested. After communicating with Henson on social media, the man on Thursday found the youth playing basketball, enticed him into his car and drove him to Orlando.