Missing 63-year-old man with autism found safe, U-Haul truck recovered after being stolen in Anaheim

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Thursday, June 23, 2022
Missing man with autism found safe, truck stolen in OC is recovered
A missing man with autism was found safe and a U-Haul truck that was stolen in Anaheim while he was inside has been recovered, authorities said.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- A missing man with autism was found safe Thursday morning and a U-Haul truck that was stolen in Anaheim while he was inside has been recovered, authorities said.

The victim, 63-year-old James Blackwood, and the vehicle were located in the 3000 block of La Brea Avenue in Baldwin Hills, according to the Anaheim Police Department. Blackwood was described as being in good health.

News video from AIR7 HD showed an ambulance driving away from the scene at the Baldwin Hills Motor Inn. Blackwood was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated.

Two U-Haul trucks were seen in the parking lot.

Two men and two women were detained by police at the motel; no formal arrests were immediately announced but the case was being investigated as a kidnapping. Authorities had previously released the description of a suspect in the case, a woman in her early 20s wearing a blonde wig.

According to Anaheim police, the vehicle was stolen around 2 p.m. Wednesday on West Lincoln Avenue after the man's caregiver stepped away for a minute to go inside a DMV office.

Surveillance video obtained by Eyewitness News shows the U-Haul truck driving away.

Blackwood reportedly has the mental capacity of a 4-year-old. Police said he was in the truck's passenger seat when it was stolen.