Missing teen safe, home again

Law enforcement officers found missing Mexia teenager Desmond “Dez” Connally Jr. in Fort Worth and returned him to his mother’s custody over the weekend.

Connally’s mother, Precious Simmons, said tips by informants helped Fort Worth police officers locate the 16-year-old who went missing Saturday, Aug. 3, about 11 a.m. from his cousin’s house in Mexia where he had spent the night.

Mexia police officers met Fort Worth officers halfway between the two cities, and his mother picked him up at the Mexia police station about 1 a.m. Saturda, Aug.10, she said.

“He’s well,” said Simmons, who noted she still has many questions about what happened.

“He’s back in school today,” she said Monday morning, Aug. 12. “I haven’t gotten to the bottom of it. I’m trying not to push it.”

Simmons said an adult woman with children of her own that he met on social media allegedly drove to Mexia and picked him up.

“She claims she didn’t know the circumstances,” his mother said. “I don’t believe that. His picture was all over the place.”

Limestone County Crime Stoppers offered a reward for information about the teenager and his whereabouts, and The Mexia News published a front-page story about his disappearance.

The Mexia Police Department issued a press release, saying local officers worked with law enforcement agencies across the state to locate the youth.

“The Mexia Police Department also received some help from concerned citizens who were able to provide some information that validated investigative information that led to locating Mr. Connally,” an MPD press release reported.

Simmons said she appreciates the efforts of law enforcement agencies in locating her son and returning him home.

“They did their job,” she said.

Simmons said she understands that an investigation into the circumstances of her son’s disappearance is ongoing, and that she is anxious to receive information from the police, who classified him as runaway, about the results.

“If they don’t get back to me, I’ll be getting back to them,” said his mother, who noted she believes the woman should be held accountable for her role in his leaving home.

When her son first disappeared, Simmons said they had not argued, and she was mystified about what happened to him.

Her family moved to Mexia in 2022 from Dallas, Simmons said.