APOPKA, Fla. – A missing child alert was issued for an 11-year-old Apopka boy who was last seen two days earlier and may be in danger, officials said.
Howard Darden was last seen Tuesday in the 2600 block of Lakeville Road near Piedmont Lakes Middle School in Apopka, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said.
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Howard is believed to be with his mother, 45-year-old Angela Darden, and they may be headed to Georgia or Virginia in a yellow 2002 Volkswagen Beetle with the Florida tag S905DL, the FDLE said.
Angela Darden removed her son from school at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday without his father's permission, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office said.
According to deputies, Angela Darden was on GPS monitoring for an aggravated stalking incident involving the child's father. Within hours of taking the child from school, Darden cut off her ankle bracelet, deputies said.
The equipment removal notified authorities and the child's father.
The Sheriff's Office said Angela Darden and the child's father had obtained court orders in different jurisdictions, with each order granting full custody to the requesting parent. Darden was scheduled to appear at a hearing Wednesday morning, but when she failed to appear, her custody of the child expired, deputies said.
Late Wednesday night, according to deputies, Angela Darden sent a very concerning text message to a family member. Deputies said Angela Darden has a history of instability and the child is believed to be in danger.
Howard (pictured above) is 5 feet tall and weighs 90 pounds and he has brown eyes and black hair.
Anyone with information about the boy's whereabouts is urged to call 911 or the Seminole County Sheriff's Office at 407-665-6650.