(CBS13) ROSEVILLE, Calif. A local autistic child went missing recently but was finally found. It was all thanks to a new tracking device used by cops.

We hear these stories all the time, whether it's autism or Alzheimer’s, there are certain groups of people prone to wandering away - sometimes with disastrous results. Now, something no bigger than a piece of jewelry, can help bring them back home.

Donald is safe at home now, enjoying a movie with his five brothers and sisters. All are adopted and all are special needs.

Last Friday for no apparent reason, Donald decided to take off. When he disappears there's reason to panic.

This wasn't Donald’s first foray out on his own. That's why Roseville police fitted him with a special anklet that holds a tiny transmitter.

This mobile tracking system is called project lifesaver. Roseville police punched in Donald's personal frequency and followed the beeps.

“If we hadn't had the tracker to actually pin point his location we wound never found him,” says Ned Rosenbrook with the Roseville Police Department.

For a little boy, clever enough to make it past an alarm system and out into a big world, the tiny piece of technology will hopefully always bring him back home.

The Roseville police department has had project life saver for about a year. They have 30 people in the program. Donald was the first person they've ever actually tracked. The time he disappeared to the time he was back home was less than 2 hours.