This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Spanish Fork Police on Saturday found a missing a 20-year-old man who is severely mentally challenged.
Carl Edward Linker, of Spanish Fork, was reported missing by his family Friday about 4:30 p.m. At about 2 a.m. Saturday morning, police posted an update on Twitter stating the man had been found in Monticello in southeastern Utah with no injuries or no harm. Police returned the man to his family.
Police received numerous tips that Linker, staying with his aunt in Spanish Fork, was trying to get back to his home in New Mexico. Officers found he had hitchhiked to Monticello, where he slept at a motel that was part of an assistance program in the area. Linker said he was sorry for leaving his aunt's house, according to a release from police.
Linker functions on the same level as a 4- or 5-year-old, police have said.
Cimaron Neugebauer