CANBY – A missing Oregon 14-year-old with Asperger’s Syndrome was found in Chicago after he managed to purchase an airport shuttle ride to Portland International Airport and then a one-way trip to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Police at O'Hare found Dakota Davis of Canby wandering around the baggage claim area late Saturday afternoon.

Dakota may have been motivated to meet a girl of the same age with whom he had been exchanging text messages, according to Clackamas County sheriff’s office spokesman Det. Jim Strovink.

Dakota's mother reported him missing Saturday morning to the Clackamas County sheriff's office.

Police say they were able to locate Davis thanks to the help of technicians at AT&T who used a “Family Map” GPS tracking system in the teen’s cell phone.

“Obviously, this was critical information provided by AT&T,” said Det. Strovink, “and most certainly directly led to this youth being located over 2,000 miles from his home.”

Conditions vary from case to case, but symptoms of Asperger's include poor social skills, obsessive behavior and odd mannerisms.

Strovink said Dakota had used his mother’s credit card number to buy the shuttle and airline tickets. United Airlines reportedly paid for a direct flight back to Portland where he was reunited with his family, Strovink said.

Dwayne Baird of the TSA said video showed Davis passing through security checkpoints at both Portland and O'Hare airports. By all appearances, the teen looked like a 14-year-old to security guards. Children generally don't have photo ID and are not checked for any, he said.

Baird said that airline safety, the biggest concern for the TSA, was upheld because the teen passed through without any illegal substances or objects.

Rahsaan Johnson, a United spokesman, cited privacy rights of passengers and declined to identify whether the teen flew on the airline.

Johnson said that in general, it is possible for a passenger to board an airplane without showing a ticket to an airline agent. The boarding pass at the gate, he said, is confirmation that the passenger has a seat assignment. Johnson pointed out that all passengers must first clear TSA security checkpoints before boarding.

Airline regulations require a parent or guardian to accompany children under age 11 from curb to plane, but youth ages 11 and older do not need to be accompanied by an adult.

Davis and nine other adopted children, most with special needs live on a Canby farm. His mom told KGW Saturday was Dakota's bowling day and she realized he was missing when she went to his room at 8:30 a.m. As it turned out, Davis was boarding a plane to Chicago at that very moment.