According to police, the boy returned to his home near 32nd Street and Roosevelt around 6:40 a.m. on Monday morning with a friend.
Detectives say Good Samaritans saw the boy sitting alone and crying on the side of the road. They drove him to his house, but no one was home. They were waiting with him when Ayala-Leon's friend and his mother, who are neighbors, came out and took custody of him. Police say the friend's mother tried to call Ayala-Leon's family, but they had bad phone numbers and were unable to reach them.