A community came together Thursday night to help a Michiana couple find their mentally-challenged son who was missing for hours.

"If it was my kid, I would want everybody in my community to step in and help out," said Holly Papa, a neighbor who helped with the search.

Nine-year-old Marqwan Pulluiam went missing at around 4:00 Thursday afternoon after getting into an argument with his mom.

He left the house in a t-shirt and no pants, and ended up almost 10 miles away from his home.

"He apparently stopped somebody on Mishawaka Avenue who gave him a ride over on Bond Street -- it's the old neighborhood where they used to live," explained Rick Bishop, a member of the SBPD Investigative Division.

Police and Child Protective Services were eventually called by a neighbor and told the boy was there.

It was a stressful night as dozens of people searched for the boy. Marqwan's father Andre says he's thankful for everybody who helped.

"I'd like to thank all the officers that went out of their way to help me find my son," he said. "We've been out here all day, and all these gentleman over here, volunteering their time, it's just incredible to see the whole community come together as one for a problem. It's just unbelievable."

"I'm glad that he's found, I'm so glad that he's found and everybody helped out," said Holly Papa. "It's just a blessing that he's found,"

It's a scary reminder for parents. With school out, they need to be more aware of what their children are doing.

"It's the beginning of summer, so the only thing we're saying is people should know their children, know who their friends are, know where they might go if something like this would happen -- relatives, friends, classmates, things like that," said Bishop.

Child Protective Services and the South Bend Police will continue to investigate the facts surrounding this case.