Autistic man survives 3-week ordeal in Utah desert

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http://centurylink.net/news/read.php?rip_id=<D9VVQPLG0@news.ap.org>&ps=1018&page=1

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The father of a 28-year-old autistic man who barely survived three weeks in remote southern Utah says his son was an experienced mountaineer but was out of his element in the harsh desert.

John LaFever said Friday that his son William made one crucial mistake: setting off for a 150-mile journey along the wild Escalante River without food or equipment that was apparently stolen before his trip got under way.

"He didn't realize how arduous his journey would be," LaFever told The Associated Press. "We didn't know what he was heading into, either. Thank God he's alive."............

William LaFever is being treated for starvation and dehydration at Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, his father said............

He traveled about 50 miles over at least three weeks before he was found Thursday by a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter..........

Jennings said her son believes he is an American Indian and recently gave up his Colorado Springs apartment and sold many of his possessions to go to the Utah desert.............

The pilot said he believes LaFever's mental condition allowed him to look at the situation different than an average person.

"It was a spiritual experience for him," Oldfield said. "He viewed it as a positive, life-changing event. He felt the desert was calling him. That's why he went on the trip in the first place.

"I think he's lucky to be alive," the pilot added.


More at link.....
 
Amazing that he was found...glad he's okay. It's nice to read good news for once.
 
Incredibly, this is not the first time that I have heard of this scenario, almost exactly. My stepdad, who had Asperger's, drove himself into the Arizona desert and walked away from his vehicle. It only took three days to find him, but he did the same thing, just decided to go for a trek in the desert with little to no supplies, not realy leave any planned path of travel, and had to be rescued by the state police.

I hope this guy makes a full recovery and understands that he was lucky this time, but probably won't be next time.
 
Incredibly, this is not the first time that I have heard of this scenario, almost exactly. My stepdad, who had Asperger's, drove himself into the Arizona desert and walked away from his vehicle. It only took three days to find him, but he did the same thing, just decided to go for a trek in the desert with little to no supplies, not realy leave any planned path of travel, and had to be rescued by the state police.

I hope this guy makes a full recovery and understands that he was lucky this time, but probably won't be next time.

Oh my. I can't imagine how scared the families are in this situation. I'm so glad that your step dad and this man were found safe.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
It is terrifying for the families.

I hope that this man and his family don't encounter some of the same people we did after my dad's incident. There were a lot of people that said we should never have "let" him go, but as with this case, a high-functioning adult is still an adult in the eyes of the law, and there's little that can be done if they want to leave, even if they want to go take a hike in the desert and nearly kill themselves.
 

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