UPDATE 11:15 a.m. Tuesday —  The Natchez teen who disappeared on his way to school Monday apparently left the state after feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of school and other issues.

The community rallied Monday around the cause of finding Silas Whitaker, 17, who left his Natchez-area home in his car on the way to school but never made it to classes.

The story quickly spread through social media and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and Adams County Sheriff’s Office put out notices he was missing. Prayer vigils were organized Monday evening in Natchez and Woodville.

Whitaker returned home of his own volition shortly before 4 a.m. Tuesday.

“We were sitting in the living room when we saw him walk up,” said Dick Whitaker, Silas’ father. “I don’t think there’s a word for how we felt. We were overjoyed, relieved.”

Dick Whitaker said his son had felt overwhelmed by the pressures of school and felt like he needed to get away.

“He seems a lot better today,” Dick said. “When he was away, he realized he needed to come home, and he did that on his own.”

Dick Whitaker said the family wanted to thank the community for its prayers and support.

“God works through things, and if we trust him, he can use it for the best,” Dick Whitaker said. “We have got to take life a little slower and reevaluate some things.”

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UPDATE 4 a.m. Tuesday — Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said Silas Whitaker is safe at home.

The sheriff said the family contacted the ACSO and said the teen was at home and safe.

Further details would be available later this morning, Mayfield said.

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UPDATE 9:15 p.m. — Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said officials are continuing to search for Natchez teenager Silas Whitaker, but have yet to find any significant leads.

Whitaker, 17, was last seen at approximately 7:30 a.m. Monday leaving his house on Martin Luther King Jr. Road for class at Cathedral School.

Mayfield said Whitaker left his phone and other personal items at his house before leaving.

“We’ve got him officially listed as a missing person, so anybody that runs his tag, ID or anything it will come back as a missing person and alert us,” Mayfield said. “We don’t have a whole lot to go on at this point, so I’m hoping sooner than later someone will run his tag.”

Mayfield said ACSO investigators have been going through Whitaker’s computer and interviewing family and close friends, but do not immediately suspect any foul play in his disappearance.

“We’ve also been combing the roads and backroads looking for his vehicle, but we haven’t found anything there,” Mayfield said. “Right now, we have to get the word out there as much as possible and hope someone runs that tag.”

Whitaker was driving a maroon, four-door 2010 Mazda 3 bearing the Mississippi license plate ADK 921.

Whitaker is described as being 6-feet-tall, weighing 190 pounds and having short, blond hair and blue eyes.

Anybody with information about Whitaker’s whereabouts should contact the ACSO at 601-442-2752.

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NATCHEZ — Adams County authorities are looking for a teenager who left for school but never got there Monday morning.

Adams County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Courtney Taylor said Silas Whitaker, 17, was last seen at approximately 7:30 a.m. Monday leaving his home on Martin Luther King Jr. Road for classes at Cathedral School.

Whitaker was driving a maroon, four-door 2010 Mazda 3 bearing the Mississippi license plate ADK 921.

The school notified Whitaker’s parents he had not arrived at approximately 11:30 a.m.

Whitaker is described as being 6-feet-tall, weighing 190 pounds and having short, blond hair and blue eyes.

Whitaker is not known to have any personal issues, Taylor said.

“He is a good student who has never done anything like this and everyone thinks it is highly out of the ordinary,” she said. “They’ve contacted his friends, and nobody knows where he is.”

Anybody with information about Whitaker’s whereabouts should contact the ACSO at 601-442-2752.