'Everything feels empty:' Mother of missing Pleasant Prairie boy pleads for help bringing him home
PLEASANT PRAIRIE - More than one month has passed since 4-year-old Azariah Petrick was last seen. Since then, investigators have taken their efforts out-of-state to find him. Now, the boy’s mother is pleading for the community’s help in bringing her son home safely.
Abigail Petrick tells FOX6 News the last month has been agonizing. Flipping through photos, she is reminded of happy memories with her son, but heavy on her heart are her son’s whereabouts.
Azariah Petrick
“He loves dinosaurs. He loved cars. He’d make them play fight. He’s very goofy,” said Abigail Petrick. “It’s been really hard. Everything feels empty.”
On July 17, Abigail Petrick said Azariah was picked up by his father, 30-year-old Markanthony Petrick. Abigail Petrick said the two share custody.
“I snapped him up in his car seat, and I said, ‘Bye baby bear, momma loves you,' and, ‘I’ll see you Wednesday,' and then I walked back inside. Wednesday came… and I didn’t see him,” said Petrick.
Markanthony Petrick
She said the boy’s father was scheduled to bring Azariah back on July 22, but never showed.
“He didn’t respond, so I got frantic,” said Petrick.
Pleasant Prairie Police Chief David Smetana said the boy is still believed to be with his father.
Azariah Petrick
“We want Azariah back home,” said Chief Smetana.
Police say Markanthony Petrick drives a 2005 Toyota Corolla four-door sedan and was last seen with Wisconsin license plates AEZ-2362.
Now, Abigail Petrick is pleading for the public’s help.
“I would much rather that you call and report something that could be him, than not report something because you just don’t know,” said Petrick.
Azariah Petrick
“That little bit of information that somebody may blow off may be critical to this investigation,” said Chief Smetana.
At this time, there have not been any threats to the safety of the child.
According to authorities -- it is possible the boy's father has crossed state lines. Pleasant Prairie police say they are working with agencies out-of-state in an effort to locate the missing child.
Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Azariah or his father should contact the Pleasant Prairie Police Department at 262-694-7353 or 1-800-843 5678 (1-800-THE LOST).
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Pleasant Prairie police seek 4-year-old boy missing since July 22
Azariah Petrick was last seen July 22 in the company of his father, Markanthony Petrick. They could be in a 2005 blue Toyota Corolla four-door sedan.