Two years ago, a Texas teenager who killed four people in a drunken-driving crash was given probation after a defense witness suggested he suffered from “affluenza,” a term used to describe psychological problems that can afflict children from wealthy families.

Now the case, which stirred debate over whether the teenager, Ethan Couch, was a rich kid who got off too lightly, has resurfaced after the authorities said he went missing and ordered the juvenile court equivalent of an arrest warrant to have him detained.

“We have recently learned that, for the last several days, the juvenile probation officer has been unable to make contact with Ethan or his mother with whom he has been residing,” a statement from his lawyers, Reagan Wynn and Scott Brown, said.

The statement gave no details about why Mr. Couch had not been in contact.

The development came almost two weeks after a six-second video posted on Twitter appeared to show Mr. Couch at a drinking party with other youths. The post, which tagged the Tarrant County district attorney’s office, said it could provide more proof of Mr. Couch “violating probation.”