Atlanta police now say 12-year-old feared abandoned was a runaway

UPDATE: Shortly after 10:30 p.m., Atlanta police said the child reported as abandoned "may not have been entirely truthful as to how he ended up at police headquarters."

He reportedly ran away, police said. Family members have been in contact with authorities.

ORIGINAL STORY: Atlanta Police are looking for family members of a 12-year-old boy who was abandoned at police headquarters Wednesday.

Police understand the boy, Lazarus Walker, to be homeless and that his mother, who goes by the name “Pumpkin,” had left him alone since Monday, said Officer Ralph Woolfolk. They had been staying at the City of Refuge shelter on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard. The boy weighs approximately 90 pounds and is 4 feet, 2 inches tall, police said.

Police are searching for relatives who may be able to help. Investigators have no school information for the boy, Woolfolk said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. A. Gruen, 404-623-3167, email asgruen@atlantaga.gov or call police headquarters at 404-546-5085