- August Beckwith, a 29-year-old autistic man, has been missing since Nov. 17.
- His mother, Lori Beckwith, is leading search efforts near the University of Utah and points beyond.
- She urges public assistance, emphasizing the urgency due to his medical condition.
SALT LAKE CITY — It's been more than two weeks since August Beckwith was reported missing, and his mother is determined to find him.
August Beckwith, 29, was last seen on Nov. 17, running down Wakara Way, near the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, after his mother said they'd left the hospital.
Lori Beckwith has organized her own search efforts, along with people who have volunteered their time — canvassing areas near the university as well as different neighborhoods and parts of Salt Lake City in a desperate attempt to locate August Beckwith.
She believes he may not be very far from where they separated, but she isn't ruling out any possible location.
"Everyday, we check the shelters, we check the hospitals, jail, everywhere; just to dot our I's and cross our T's," Lori Beckwith said.
She spoke with KSL.com Tuesday as she and a group of volunteers were preparing to scour more areas and place missing person flyers near the campus. She said they've had several tips and leads from people who claimed to have seen him, none of which have panned out so far.
"We've had multiple sightings in multiple places; none of them are able to be confirmed because there are no cameras there, or we get sightings that are a day late," she explained.
Aside from the fear that comes with not knowing where her son is, Lori Beckwith said she is extremely concerned for his safety, as he is autistic, nonverbal and what she described as extremely vulnerable. She adds that time is of the essence to locate him, due to the urgent nature of his condition.
"It is absolutely dire because of his withdrawal from his medication that he's on that he needs to stay stable," she said.
While each moment is critical, Lori Beckwith says the search efforts have not been cheap. So she has been collecting monetary contributions through a GoFundMe* account that was organized for those able to help, as well as donations of warm clothes, blankets and food that will be placed in boxes and left in areas where she thinks August may go.
Lori Beckwith is also pleading for people to help with search efforts. She said they've had around 25 volunteers over the past few days, with some people traveling from areas in Utah, Davis and Weber counties to help, but many more are needed.
"If they can just spare two hours of their day, it can make a massive difference for helping us find him. It's just impossible for me to do everything at once, and there's so much ground to cover, it's overwhelming," she said.
August Beckwith currently has a full beard, though he typically is clean-shaven. He was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, black jeans and black shoes, but his mother said he could be wearing different clothing now.
"There's lots of clothes laying around campus; there's clothes laying on the street. If he ran into any homeless people, they're very generous with each other, and they may have given him more clothing — so it's really hard to say," said Lori Beckwith, who added that he doesn't have a coat, a phone, or any money on him.
People who see him are asked not to approach him, but to keep him within their sight and to call 911 immediately or University of Utah campus police at 801-585-2677.
Lori Beckwith is also welcoming any calls about his whereabouts at 801-232-5828 — she said every piece of information is beneficial.
"I can't thank you enough for taking time from your busy lives and families to come and help save my son's life. I'm so moved by everyone who has showed up already," she wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
