William Martin LaFever, a 28-year-old man with Autism, was found alive after wandering the remote Escalante Desert of southern Utah for three weeks.
The young man is a fan of camping and said he “fell in love” with the dangerous yet picturesque Utah terrain. LaFever told his dad he was going to make the hike from Boulder, Utah, to Page, Arizona, a distance of around 90 miles, even after his dad warned him against the trip. While in the wilderness, LaFever had been surviving on frogs, roots, and water from the Escalante River.
Deputy Ray Gardner, the man who organized the search efforts for LaFever, had been trained in searching for people with Autism and knew they are naturally drawn to water. Knowing this, Gardner focused the helicopter search on the Escalante River, which is where LaFever was later found.
We are so thankful that Mr. LaFever was found alive and unharmed; we hate to think how this story could have ended. Stories like this remind us why eTrak was created; hopefully our device can help others, like LaFever, if they are ever faced with a similar situation.
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