A missing Rhode Island woman was found alive inside a parked car on Sunday and has been taken to a hospital for an evaluation.
Linda DaLomba, a nonverbal individual with autism, was last seen on Wednesday afternoon, according to a report by CrimeOnline. The investigation took a serious turn on Friday when discrepancies were discovered in the statements provided by her 45-year-old caregiver. As a result, the caregiver, Roberta Gerard, was taken into custody, as per WPRI.
The charges against Gerard, aged 43, include abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an impaired adult, along with obstructing an officer in the performance of their duties.
Initially, Gerard claimed that DaLomba went missing while she was using the restroom at Burlington Coat Factory. However, after reviewing surveillance footage from the store, law enforcement confirmed that neither woman had been present at the location.
DaLomba was found by a Cranston Fire Department mechanic in a car belonging to a friend of his family that had been parked in front of his house, unlocked, for two weeks. Savong Sam told WPRI he had gone out to jump start the car.
“I opened the back door, put the jump box down, I looked back and noticed there was a person sleeping, laying down in the back of the vehicle,” Sam said.
Police Chief Col. Michael Winquist said investigators are now trying to determine how DaLomba ended up in the vehicle, which was parked a few blocks from where DaLomba was last seen.
Seven Hills Rhode Island, which owns the group home where DaLomba lives, said in a statement it was “so deeply relieved that Linda is safe.”
