Why was Scipio Africanus the Younger feared dead after the Battle of Pydna?

Scipio Africanus the Younger was feared dead after the Battle of Pydna because he had pursued the routed enemy forces with such intense speed and aggression that he became separated from his own troops and went missing.1

During the engagement in 168 BCE, Scipio—who was serving under his father, Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus—demonstrated significant courage by following the fleeing Macedonian forces. His disappearance during this pursuit led to concerns that he had been killed in the chaos of the battle. He was later found safe, and his father subsequently placed him in charge of the Macedonian royal game preserves to further cultivate his strength and character.1