CRANSTON, R.I. (WLNE) — A missing autistic woman in Cranston has been found five days after she was reported missing. Cranston police said that her caretaker was arrested, but added the investigation was far from over. 45-year-old Linda Delomba was found huddled in the back of a parked car in a residential neighborhood. The investigation began on March 18, when Delomba’s caregiver, Roberta Gerard, stopped by the Cranston Police Department and told police she had lost her inside a Burlington Coat Factory However, the investigation took a turn. “We wasted valuable time and assets and resources and learned that Ms. Delomba and Ms. Gerard never entered the Burlington Coat Factory,” Chief Michael Winquist said. Police then followed up with Gerard, at which point they said she came up with another story, telling detectives that Delomba climbed out of her car while she was inside her home heating up food. “We knew that story probably wasn’t very accurate,” Winquist said. “We knew that the safety locks in that vehicle were activated in the rear.” Law enforcement scoured all parts of the city, on the ground and in the air, with the help of the FBI. “I’ll be honest with you, as time goes on, somebody with such severe intellectual and physical handicaps, our thoughts became quite grim,” Winquist said. But on Sunday, a key discovery was made by Savong Sam, a mechanic and Cranston resident, on Pond Street. He said a friend had asked him to take care of an SUV that was having problems starting up. “I grabbed the jump box, I opened the back door, put the jump box down, looked back and noticed there was a person laying down in the back of the vehicle,” Sam said. “I was like wait, maybe it’s that missing lady.” Police responded and took Delomba to the hospital, where they said she was doing well. Winquist added police aren’t sure how she got in the back of the car, but her caregiver was arrested. Gerard will be charged with abuse and exploitation of an adult with severe impairment, as well as obstruction. “When somebody gives you a bunch of incorrect stories, red flags are raised,” Winquist said. “As investigators, you have to wonder why somebody wouldn’t just give you the correct information. We probably could have found her within a few hours.” Winquist added police are still reviewing surveillance footage in the area, and said he was confident they would soon have more answers. Categories: Cranston, News, Rhode Island ...read more read less