BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A 5-year-old boy who went missing from his home in Alabama 13 years ago has been found unharmed as a young man living with his father in Ohio, thanks in part to red flags raised when he tried to apply to college, authorities said.

Julian Hernandez’s mother reported him missing from the Birmingham area in 2002 after his father left her a note saying he’d taken the boy, police said. After years of dead ends, officials said, the case cracked open with a tip on Oct. 30.

Hernandez was doing well in school in Ohio and was applying to several colleges, but there was an issue with his Social Security number, according to police in Vestavia Hills, near Birmingham. He approached a school counselor, who was trying to help when she realized Hernandez was listed as missing by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, District Attorney Brandon Falls in Jefferson County, Alabama, told local media outlets.

Apparently, Hernandez had been living with his father, 53-year-old Bobby Hernandez, in Cleveland, on the city’s west side, authorities said. Both were living under assumed names with a woman and two other children, according to officials, and Julian Hernandez probably didn’t know he was listed as missing.

Bobby Hernandez has been charged with tampering with records in Ohio to get a driver’s license in 2012, and police say he’ll face additional charges in Alabama. He’s being held in Ohio on a $250,000 bond.

“We are in the process of getting charges on him and when that happens, when he is adjudicated in Ohio, then he will be extradited back to Jefferson County,” Lt. Johnny Evans of the Vestavia Hills police said.

Jefferson County District Attorney Brandon Falls told local media outlets that he’s seeking charges involving interference with custody — a felony carrying a prison term of one to 10 years.