Kahil Gray was last seen Tuesday at Chicago Comer Children's Hospital near 57th Street and Cottage Grove. He was with his father at the hospital around 3:30 p.m. when the teen broke away on the fourth floor of the hospital as they were about to get on the elevator to leave.
"He just turned and run through a door. And we haven't seen him since," said Michael Gray, father.
Footage from hospital video cameras show the boy leaving the building and heading toward Cottage Grove.
"I'm appealing to everyone in the surrounding area to help us find him," said Beryl Gray, mother. "Please bring him home to us. We love him. He is hungry right now. He is tired. He is weary. He wants to come home to his parents."
At the time of his disappearance, Gray was wearing a white shirt with blue stripes and light blue jeans. He is 5'6", 130 pounds and lives near 92nd and Stony Island Avenue.
The teen can speak only a few words, according to his father. Anyone with information regarding Gray's whereabouts is asked to call the police.
Though Kahil is not a UofC patient, the hospital and university security searched for the boy through the night. On Wednesday, Chicago police, family and friends canvassed the surrounding area.
"We're very worried. We're really worried," said Michael Gray. "We don't know where he spent last night."
"I'm afraid someone will take advantage of him because he is so friendly," said Beryl Gray. "I'm concerned right now he is laying somewhere, maybe weary and I'm not going home until I find him."
Volunteers searched for the teen Wednesday evening, fanning out in Washington Park in Hyde Park.
"He's been out here for 24 hours, and my hope is that he's not out here for another 24 hours," said volunteer Rodney Gore.
His parents believe Kahil would respond if approached in a friendly, non-threatening manner.
