This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Saratoga Springs police have added a missing, endangered man and his mother to a nationwide missing persons database.
Eric Tao, 21, was last seen at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when his mother, Connie Tao, 42, picked him up from the SP Foundation at 967 W. Center St. in Orem. The private business is a care facility that has guardianship over Eric Tao, who is autistic and "classified as having intellectual disability," according to Saratoga Springs police.
He's allowed to live with his mother in Saratoga Springs as long as she brings him to the facility every week day, said police Cpl. Jason Ruch. When she failed to drop him off Thursday morning, the center called the police.
"We do have a little bit of history with the mother, and that's where the concerns for his well-being come in," Ruch said. He declined to comment further. The Utah Office of Public Guardian took temporary custody of Eric Tao in November after finding "an emergency situation" existed, though available court documents don't specify the potential danger. In May, the office arranged for Connie Tao to take her son to the day program five days a week.
Eric Tao now is believed to be endangered, according to a Saratoga Springs Police news release. After notifying state agencies on Saturday, the police department expanded notifications to go nationwide on Sunday.
The Taos aren't at home and have no other family members in Utah. Connie Tao has an ex-husband in Wyoming and a mother in California, but local officers have checked with both relatives and neither have seen or heard from her, Ruch said Sunday.
"We have some leads we've been trying to follow up on," Ruch said.
Connie Tao was last seen driving a 2001 silver Toyota Rav4, with the Utah license plate AO58XT. She is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 137 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes.
Eric Tao is 6 feet 1 inch tall, also weighs 137 pounds and also has brown hair and brown eyes.
The Utah Office of Public Guardian planned to periodically meet with Connie Tao at her home to assess her son's socialization and habilitation progress. It planned to review Eric Tao's guardianship on April 8, 2016.
Anyone with information about the Taos' whereabouts is asked to call the Saratoga Springs Police Department at 801-794-3970.
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