A Dubai-based Filipino expat residing in Abu Hail has thanked the community after her 20-year-old son was found safe after going missing for five days.

On Monday evening, 40-year-old Annabel Hilo Abing had put out a desperate plea on her personal Facebook profile after her son, Mark Lester Abing, had left their home unnoticed on Thursday, November 14.

Speaking to , Annabel said that since her son's disappearance, their family had been frantically searching for him. She contacted local hospitals and posted in community groups, but received little attention until she shared her son’s story on her personal Facebook profile Monday night.

The mother received a phone call informing of her son's whereabouts on Tuesday, right after published the story.

"A Filipino woman called me to tell that she saw my son in the Hor Al Anz area, behind the Bangladesh consulate," said Annabel, adding that she shared a picture of her son to confirm his identity, after which the mother picked him up from the area.

According to the mum of 4, Mark Lester, who suffers from schizophrenia, used a set of keys he found hanging by his grandmother’s room to sneak out of the house around noon that day. The young man, she explained, is not allowed to leave the house unsupervised, and his mother believes he may have gone outside in search of cigarettes.

“I had called hospitals, but there was no sign of him,” Annabel said, adding that she also went to the police station to file a missing persons report the previous day. However, she was told to return today to process the report.

She also noted that this isn’t the first time Mark Lester has gone missing. Just three weeks ago, he disappeared for four days, prompting a search by family members before he was eventually found in the nearby cafeteria.

Annabel thanked everyone who assisted in the search, saying: "We found him. Thank you, everyone. It's heartwarming how (we) help each other. God bless everyone."