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Alex Cabrero and Randall Jeppesen ReportingYou can find all sorts of topics on Internet message boards, but one post caught the attention of an Orem woman. And because she cared enough to make a phone call, she ended up saving a man's life.
That woman traced the IP address on the post to a computer inside the Orem library. But even from there, finding the man and making sure he was okay was going to be a challenge.
For 26 years, Louise Wallace has received every type of phone call she could imagine at the Orem Library, or so she thought, until Monday afternoon.
Louise Wallace: "Never a call like this. Never a call like this."
On the other end was a woman who said she just read a disturbing post on the Internet, and traced that post to a computer at the Orem Library.
Louise Wallace, Orem Library Director: "It was clear it was a serious situation by the tone of her voice."
From there, a librarian tracked down their internet technology director, Clarke Hoover.
"The person was male, and around 20, 21-years-old, so we narrowed the field down by who was logged in," Hoover says.
Ironically the person they were looking for was sitting on the other side of the wall from Hoover's office, but the young man apparently left before authorities reached the computer.
When Orem police got involved and read the post themselves, they too realized it appeared to be a suicide letter.
Lt. Doug Edwards, Orem Police Dept.: "We were able to come up with four names of people likely to be the one we're looking for."
Police tracked one name to an apartment near the library and knew right away, he was the one.
Lt. Doug Edwards: "They found him slouched over on the couch. He was cold to the touch, couldn't find a pulse, they thought sadly they were too late."
But then they noticed him move slightly and rushed him to the hospital, where they revived him.
Lt. Doug Edwards: "Somebody wants this boy alive."
And he'll get that chance again because random strangers cared.
Louise Wallace: "This call was about someone's life."
Lt. Doug Edwards: "At any point in time, somebody could've broken down the process, and it might've had a very different outcome."
We're told the man is still at the hospital, but should be okay. He told police he swallowed all his medicine. Paramedics say just another five minutes, and he most likely wouldn't have made it.
Everyone involved hopes he gets the help he needs on this second chance in life.
