Car Belonging to Missing Colorado Man, 22, Found Over 100 Miles Away from Where He Was Last Seen
Colorado police located a car belonging to a missing 22-year-old man
Derek Pettigrew's vehicle was discovered on State Highway 127 in Jackson County, days after he was last seen in the Fort Collins area on July 15
Pettigrew is described as a White man with brown hair and blue eyesA car belonging to a missing Colorado man was discovered over 100 miles away from where he was last seen earlier this week.
On Friday, July 18, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) announced that the unoccupied vehicle belonging to Derek Pettigrew was found on Colorado State Highway 127 in Jackson County, near mile marker 6.
The discovery took place after the missing 22-year-old man was last seen leaving the Fort Collins area on Tuesday, July 15.
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Pettigrew is described as a White man with brown hair and blue eyes, standing at 6 feet tall and weighing 155 pounds.
He was last seen driving the blue 2015 Subaru station wagon and is "believed to be suffering from a mental health condition," according to an alert shared by the CBI.
Fox affiliate KDVR reported that milepost 6 on the highway — where the vehicle was found — is near the border of Colorado and Wyoming, and at the intersection with Forest Service Road 895, near Pinkham Mountain.
Per the outlet, Pettigrew was last seen wearing plaid shorts, a black T-shirt featuring the letters "TLD," black slides and a gray baseball hat.
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons' latest monthly report in May, roughly 25,000 missing persons cases were active in the U.S., and nearly 60,000 were resolved.
The CBI is asking anyone with information surrounding Pettigrew's location to contact the Jackson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO).
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'Some time around eight in the evening, this man ended his shift without knowing where she was and without making sure that he handed her over to another member of staff to continue the one-to-one care regime. 'He simply left.' Mr Wade continued: 'It turned out he wasn't Ebo Achempong, that was a false name. He had been assisted to acquire a false identity documents, and he never returned to work at Huntercombe.' After Ruth's death, police tracked down the worker's phone, which revealed he had gone 'to Heathrow airport and got on a plane to Ghana'. The coroner said police think they know 'who he truly was', but that he was 'never seen again' after leaving the country. 'It seems that he learnt what happened that evening,' Mr Wade said. "He let Ruth down. He let everyone down.' The inquest, which started on Monday, heard Ruth should have been under continuous one-to-one observations and watched at all times following a suicide attempt on 7 February. 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Ruth's parents, Kate and Mark, who are both doctors, read out a pen portrait for their daughter describing her as 'cheeky, kind, blunt yet deeply thoughtful'. 'Ruth was born in 2007, our firstborn and the first baby within most of our friendship groups and social circles. She was born with a head of bright red hair, perhaps the first indication of the fiery, determined and at times stubborn side of her. But that red head was also a sign of her huge heart, of her deep passion for life and the huge well of love she had within her.' They said Ruth was 'intelligent, creative with a spirit that made her unforgettable', and that 'she lived life wholeheartedly' and 'had big ideas she wanted to help the world'. 'She died at the age of just 14, too young ... Her death has shattered us, her wider family, and it's had a profound impact on all of us.' Ruth had suffered from Tourette syndrome and a tic condition, which had impacted her mental health. She was also diagnosed with an eating disorder, all conditions which emerged during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. In the weeks before her admission to Taplow Manor, she was admitted to a general acute ward at Salisbury Hospital, where she spent a few weeks following a self-harm attempt. At the time, she was under the care of the local community child and adolescent mental health team. While at Salisbury, she suffered a 'traumatic' incident in which her nasogastric (NG) tube, used for feeding, was inserted into her lungs. On 4 October, with no other beds available, Ruth was sent to Taplow Manor, tens of miles away from her home and family. Ruth's mother, Kate, told the court that the family were pressured and told that there was no choice when they were told by doctors that their daughter would be admitted to Thames Ward, at Taplow Manor, which is a psychiatric intensive care unit. These units are wards for the most severely mentally unwell children, and guidance says patients should be on these wards for just 8 weeks. However, Ruth was on the ward from October 2021 until her death in February 2022. In a statement to the court, Ms Szymankiewicz described a series of concerns over the care of her daughter, including that the family were only able to see their daughter twice a week. She said the family were not told of several self-harm attempts and injuries. Ruth, according to her mother, had no access to psychological support and had just two sessions with an assistant psychiatrist in the four months before her death, she told the court. 'Her days were shaped by being restrained, NG fed and watched by staff. She said, 'Do I need to hurt myself so I can go to a normal hospital?' 'She was desperate, nothing displayed that more poignantly than the note Ruth left before she died… 'We felt we had to push for information. You could see Ruth was deteriorating. Ruth was being provided with so little therapeutic care,' Ms Szymankiewicz said. She also described how their daughter was given unsupervised access to her phone on the ward despite her parents raising repeated concerns. In December, on a visit home for Christmas, Ruth grew anxious at the thought of going back to hospital. She allegedly told her parents she would 'rather die than go back to Thames Ward'. She was so distressed that she had to be taken back to hospital in handcuffs and foot restraints, an incident her mother described as 'traumatic.' Five days before the fatal self-harm attempt, Ruth was able to self-harm in a very similar fashion after she was left alone for 30 minutes, the court heard. Ruth's parents found out she was supposed to be on 15-minute observations, down from constant; however, after the 7 February incident, observations were increased to constant again. Ending her statement, Ms Szymankiewicz said of her daughter: 'She was managed and contained and not helped. The things Ruth had to endure would've felt like torture to her and something she would've done anything to escape.' 'The loss of a child, I don't think anyone who hasn't experienced it can truly understand … We hope the process of unpicking her story might influence the care of others going forward.' The inquest at Buckinghamshire Coroner's Court in Beaconsfield continues. If you are experiencing feelings of distress or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans in confidence on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@ or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to to find a helpline near you. For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this article, eating disorder charity Beat's helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. Visit or call 0845 838 2040 Solve the daily Crossword
