Escaped Mental Patient Anthony Garver Spotted At Parents’ Home In Spokane, Washington

An escaped mental patient described by authorities as dangerous was spotted in Spokane, Washington, on Thursday night. Anthony Garver, who fled a state mental hospital on Wednesday night, made a stop at his parents’ home.

UPDATE: Anthony Garver is still on the loose. Deputies will be actively searching through the night. @KHQLocalNews pic.twitter.com/nuTfqebrIA

— Patrick Erickson (@patrickerickson) April 8, 2016

As reported by the Seattle Times, a massive search of a wooded area near the home is being conducted by Spokane County sheriff deputies and investigators with the U.S. Marshals Service. The 28-year-old escaped fugitive may have picked up some weapons from a stash he had hidden in the Spokane area, said Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich.

After escaping from Western State Hospital, authorities believe Garver bought a Greyhound bus ticket in Seattle and rode to his hometown of Spokane. He was committed to the facility in 2014 by court order after being deemed incompetent to stand trial for murder.

In June 2013, Garver gagged and tied up 20-year-old Phillipa S. Evans-Lopez then stabbed her 24 times and slashed her throat. DNA evidence and video surveillance linked the escaped mental patient to the crime.

Phillipa’s mother, Kris Evans, fears the worse since Garver’s escape.

“He’s out there among us, so not just my safety and family’s safety, but everybody’s safety,” she said. “He’s very dangerous.”

Evans believes Garver should have gone to prison for her daughter’s murder and not a mental hospital.

In addition to the murder, the mental patient has a history of making violent threats, including shooting anyone who confronts him. Court records show he considers himself anti-government and would like to imitate the Oklahoma City bomber.

In 2015, a state psychologist suggested Garver was schizophrenic and had limited memory, hallucinations, and paranoid delusions. The examiner also indicated the mental patient was incapable of understanding the murder charges against him or the court procedures.

Based on these conclusions, a judge committed Garver to the mental hospital instead of taking the case to trial.

Police believe Garver is a loner and can survive for long periods of time in the wilderness. In 2009, he eluded police by hiding in the woods for over a month before being caught.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Garver escaped Western State Hospital along with another patient, Mark Alexander Adams, through a loose window in the room the two shared. The escaped patients jumped about 12 feet to the ground and left the area on foot.

Kathy Spears, a spokeswoman for the Department of Social and Health Services, said the window should only have opened with a key. She thinks some of the bolts in the frame were loose, allowing the window to pivot open.

Prior to their escape, the pair was seen in the hospital’s cafeteria around 6 p.m. During a routine patient-status check 45 minutes later, workers noticed they were missing. Authorities were notified of the patients’ escape shortly after 7 p.m.

Adams, 59, was subsequently caught Thursday morning in Des Moines, Washington, about 30 miles away from the facility. After receiving an anonymous tip from someone in the area, the fugitive was captured around 10 a.m. near an elementary school.

“He had a calm demeanor and was taken into custody without incident,” said Des Moines Police Department Commander Bob Bohl. “It was easy.”

Once Adams escaped Western State Hospital, he made his way to the Federal Way Transit Center and asked about going to the Seattle airport. However, the escaped mental patient went to Des Moines instead.

Garver is described as white, five feet eight inches tall, and weighs 250 pounds. He has brown hair and a beard or mustache. He was last seen wearing a brown, faded sweatshirt and jail-issued orange flip-flops. He may be using the alias Anthony Burke or Deryk Garver.

Authorities consider the escaped mental patient, Anthony Garver, a dangerous threat to the public. Anyone who sees him is warned to stay away and call 911 immediately.

[Photo by Lakewood Police Department/AP Images]