This Teen Went Missing 2 Years Ago And Was Just Found Living Homeless In Another State
Clearlake, California. 19-year-old Connerjack Oswalt finally reunited with his family on April 9, after three years of missing.
Connerjack went missing on September 28, 2019, when his mother was preparing lunch. At the time, Connerjack was 17 years old with autism, which was diagnosed in 2014. His family has searched for him ever since he went missing, handing out fliers, scanning social media, and desperately chasing down fruitless leads.
Connerjack’s mother, Suzanne Flint, and his stepfather, Gerald Flint, moved back to Idaho Falls, where he was born. The parents were hoping he would eventually make it back there.
“There wasn’t a day I wasn’t searching for him, in some form or fashion,” Suzanne said.
“Any hints at something that remotely resembled him, we would follow up on it,” Gerald said. “We’ve had a lot of false hope over the last two and a half years. It’s been a real nightmare.”
Connerjack was eventually found in Utah. Sheriff Justin Martinez at the Summit County Sheriff’s Office discovered him sleeping outside of a convenience store. Sheriff Martinez suspected that Connerjack must have lived on the street for a couple of weeks.
Several weeks before Connerjack’s identity was confirmed, residents in Summit County began calling the sheriff’s office to report seeing a homeless person pushing a cart.
The information had caught the authorities’ attention. Unlike many other cities, the county does not have a lot of homeless people due to the severe cold during the season.
NCMEC; pictured above is Connerjack
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According to Lt. Andrew Wright, the sheriff’s office had encountered Connerjack several times–before confirming his identity–and offered to help him find a shelter. However, he always refused and would not give his name.
“As we’ve dealt with this individual, he has never been aggressive towards law enforcement,” Sheriff Martinez said. “But he’s been resistant towards law enforcement.
The last time the sheriff’s office received another report about Connerjack, they helped him warm up in a patrol vehicle. And this time, deputies were able to scan his fingerprint.
The officers then searched the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database, discovering a listing for Connerjack. However, there were discrepancies in the name’s spelling, so authorities reached out to his family for confirmation.
Gerald was in Idaho with Suzanne when he received the call. He drove down from Idaho Falls to Park City to meet with the deputies and was able to identify Connerjack. After that, he called Suzanne to tell her about the news.
That day, “there wasn’t a dry eye in the room,” Sheriff Martinez told KSTU.
Although there are still many questions about what happened since Connerjack’s disappearance, for now, knowing he’s safe is enough.
“We’re just grateful,” Suzanne told KSTU. “He’s alive, and we have our son back.”
According to Lt. Wright, the social worker knowledgeable about autism took over Connerjack’s care after the reunion with his family. His family is hoping to bring him back home soon.
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