Autistic Man survives weeks lost in Escalante Desert
7/12/12
Salt Lake Tribune
Link: Autistic Man survives weeks lost in Escalante Desert
"It was a long shot — Garfield County sheriff’s Deputy Ray Gardner recalled from training just weeks earlier that people with autism are often attracted to bodies of water.
Tasked to search for a missing 28-year-old Colorado man with autism with no idea where his last known location was, Gardner suggested that it would be best to search for William LeFever along the Escalante River.
"It was a shot in the dark to find William," said Garfield County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Becki Bronson.
But, just 5 miles from where the Escalante River dumps into Lake Powell, a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter spotted a man sitting in the river, weakly waving one hand toward rescuers.
Rescuers thought there was no way this could be LeFever.
"Sure enough, it was him," Bronson said. "He was so weak. He could not stand or walk."
Authorities believe LeFever started his trek where Highway 12 crosses the Escalante River, between Boulder and the town of Escalante. From that point to the spot where LeFever was found, the river travels about 70 miles.
LeFever told rescuers that he survived by eating frogs and roots while traveling down the Escalante River. The man was delirious and emaciated, but alive, after spending at least three weeks living in the wilderness."
Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54...lante.html.csp
Amazing story!
