Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Police here continued looking Sunday for a missing man with disabilities who investigators believe was taken by his mother who also has a history of mental illness and several run-ins with the law.
Connie Tao and her son, Eric, were last seen Wednesday.
"Eric is autistic and classified as having intellectual disability," police said.
Eric, 21, is unable to care for himself, police said. The state of Utah has guardianship over him. According to state court records, the Office of Public Guardian was given guardianship of Eric in November following a hearing that determined that "an emergency situation exists."
But over the past few months, Connie Tao, 42, has worked with authorities to gain certain privileges such as having Eric sleep at her Saratoga Springs house at night as long as she took him back to the SP Foundation in Orem, a developmental center, during the day.
Saratoga Springs police said Connie Tao picked up her son from the center Wednesday about 6:30 p.m. but did not return him on Thursday. Police do not believe she has been to her house since that time. Investigators say she has also turned off her cell phone.
Police said Connie Tao has been diagnosed with a form of schizophrenia as well as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
She was last seen driving a 2001 silver Toyota RAV4 with Utah license plate number A05-8XT.
According to state court records, Connie Tao was charged Aug. 1 with disorderly conduct in Saratoga Springs Justice Court. She took a plea in abeyance to custodial interference in January, court records stated. In 2013 she was charged with assault in a case involving domestic violence, according to court records. That case was still on-going and scheduled to have a pre-trial conference on Friday, according to court records.
In 2007 Tao was convicted on amended charges of attempted drug possession and attempted endangerment of a child, according to court records. She was also convicted of simple assault and disorderly conduct in separate cases that same year, court records stated.
Both Connie and Eric Tao's names have been included in the NCIC national police database so if police anywhere in the U.S. come in contact with them, Saratoga Springs authorities will be notified.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Connie and Eric Tao should contact the Saratoga Springs Police Department at 801-794-3970. Email: preavy@deseretnews.com Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam
