A 12-year-old Shanghai boy went missing almost a week ago after being reprimanded by his mother was found Sunday afternoon in an IKEA department store in the Xuhui District, the Shanghai Daily reported.
Peng Yijian, who allegedly ate grocery samples to stay alive while missing, is being cared for at a local hospital. He is malnourished and is receiving an intravenous nutrition drip while in the hospital.
Peng's father said the boy explored the city in the six days he was gone. He went to supermarkets and ate free food they offered as samples whenever he got hungry.
The missing boy's mother and father said they appreciated all the support and help from local media, residents and the police. They also vowed to be in better contact with Peng from now on.
He was reported missing last Tuesday, and according to Sun Miao - a police officer in the Xuhui District - police poured over surveillance video footage from around his residence.
Investigators said they saw Peng walking around Shangai South Railway Station in the footage. When they checked footage from yesterday, he was outside a Carrefour outlet.
"We thought there might be other places he likes to visit, so we asked his mother. She gave us eight or nine names, including Caoxi Park, Nanfang Shopping Mall, In Center and IKEA," Sun said.
A few miles from the Carrefour outlet, the boy was found inside the IKEA outlet store. He was found near an escalator after a 40-minute hunt that led to the blocking of store exits.
Peng's mother got a call from his son's school saying he was going to be sent home for not doing his math homework, and his mother yelled at him and caused Peng to flee. She said her son had ran away before.
Peng's family has lived in Shanghai since 2003, but are from Shanxi Province, according to ECNS.
