California teen Connorjack Oswalt missing in 2019, found 3 years later

A California teenager who was reported lacking three years in the past was discovered this month sleeping outdoors of a Utah gasoline station, police mentioned.

Sheriff’s deputies encountered Connerjack Oswalt, 19, within the Park Metropolis space on April 9 after somebody referred to as in a report of a person sleeping outdoors a gasoline station, mentioned Lt. Andrew Wright of the Summitt County Sheriff’s Workplace.

When deputies arrived, they scanned Oswalt’s fingerprints and located an arrest warrant for somebody with the same identify that was issued out of Nevada in February, Wright mentioned, and extra analysis led them to a lacking particular person’s poster for Oswalt within the Nationwide Heart for Lacking and Exploited Youngsters database.

Deputies contacted authorities in Clearlake, California, the place Oswalt was reported lacking, and tracked down Oswalt’s mom in Idaho Falls, Wright mentioned, resulting in their reunification in Utah.

Oswalt’s mom, Suzanne Flint, advised USA TODAY her son left dwelling as a result of “somebody had allegedly advised him he can go on a pilgrimage to search out himself.”

“We’re nonetheless becoming all of the items collectively and we’re going off what he’d advised us,” Flint mentioned.

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Oswalt, who’s autistic, was reported lacking on Sept. 28, 2019, when he was 17 years outdated, mentioned Lt. Tim Hobbs from the Clearlake Police Division.

Whereas he was lacking, a number of folks claimed to have seen him, however none had been reported to legislation enforcement till weeks or months after the actual fact, police mentioned. The lone confirmed sighting of Oswalt was in Willows, practically 70 miles north of Clearlake, Hobbs mentioned. 

In the course of the weeks earlier than Oswalt was recognized, residents within the Park Metropolis space had referred to as the sheriff’s workplace a couple of homeless man who was pushing a cart, Wright mentioned.

“Every time deputies interacted with Connerjack, he did not present any figuring out data,” Wright mentioned. “We had no motive to demand that he establish himself on the earlier encounters as a result of he was not violating the legislation. Nonetheless, deputies provided Connerjack assets resembling transportation, meals, and so forth. He refused all gives made.”

Social employees responded to assist Oswalt after he was recognized, Wright mentioned. 

Investigators are nonetheless not sure how he ended up in Utah. 

“This stays the large query,” Wright advised USA TODAY. “The place did his journey take him over the previous two and a half years? We suspect he did not give figuring out data as a result of he was petrified of police.”