Man with Autism Disappears Again After Previously Vanishing for Nearly a Month. ‘We Need Your Help,’ Mom Says

Days after a Utah man with autism was found safe following a weeks-long disappearance, his family says he has gone missing again.

In a Facebook post, the mother of 29-year-old August Beckwith said he disappeared on Monday, Dec. 15, shortly after being discharged from the hospital, according to Fox affiliate KSTU and CBS affiliate KUTV.

“August is missing again — and we need your help,” Lori Beckwith wrote, sharing the area where he was last seen in Salt Lake City.

“After weeks missing and then hospitalization, August disappeared shortly after discharge on Dec. 15, last seen near State Street and 2nd Avenue,” she added. “He has no shoes, no phone, no money, and no credit card, and is considered a vulnerable adult.”

August first went missing on Nov. 17 and was last seen in the Sugarhouse neighborhood of Salt Lake City two days later, according to the National Autism Association.

The organization described him as nonverbal and said he was “experiencing a severe mental health crisis” at the time he disappeared, adding that he was “extremely vulnerable and unable to seek help.”

Lori had previously said her son ran off down Wakara Way shortly after they left a local hospital, according to KSL NewsRadio.

On Dec. 10, August was spotted at the Apollo Burger in Taylorsville, Taylorsville Police Department spokesperson Aaron Cheshire told The Salt Lake Tribune. The person who reported the sighting requested a welfare check, he said.

Officers responded and identified August using a fingerprint scanner, Cheshire added. The Utah Department of Public Safety announced on Dec. 11 that August and his mother had been reunited.

In her Tuesday Facebook post, Lori said her son’s second disappearance was not the result of “carelessness or failure.”

“For individuals with autism and trauma, transitions can be the most dangerous moments — even when there are signs of hope and improvement,” she wrote, alongside a new photo of her son.

She also asked the public to assist in efforts to locate him.

“We are encouraged that the Salt Lake Police Department is now fully in charge of the case, and we have learned a great deal since August was last missing,” she wrote. “With that knowledge, we believe community involvement can make a real difference.”

After August’s original disappearance, Lori said he spent time with members of the local homeless community — and that they helped him survive, according to ABC affiliate KTVX.

“I owe a special debt to the homeless men and women of this city, whose vigilance, kindness, and relentless search for August humbled me,” she previously wrote on Facebook. “Some of the most profound generosity came from those with the least to give.”

She added, “To the person — or people — who gave him layers of warm clothing, boots, and food: you kept him alive. I will never forget it.”

According to the National Autism Association, behaviors like August’s are often described as wandering or elopement and can be common among people with autism.

“Wandering/elopement is typically a form of communication, often occurring to get to something of interest or away from something bothersome, usually noise, commotion, fears/phobias, and demands,” the organization wrote. “These impulses and incidents can increase with added anxiety and stress, especially if the individual has challenges with coping, calming, or regulating their emotions.”

Lori is now seeking drivers and other volunteers to help search the Salt Lake City area, according to her Facebook post.

“If anybody knows where he is, please call us so we can find him and get him back with his mom and get him back safe,” Det. Michael Ruff of the Salt Lake City Police Department told the Tribune.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact police via their non-emergency number at 801-799-3000.