Found Deceased CA - Erika Lloyd, 37, car found vandalized near Twentynine Palms & Joshua Tree NP, 14 June 2020

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tarabull said:
California mom remains missing 4 months after solo 'pandemic road trip,' family says
September 29 2020
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This is new, or at least new to me..

“Martin Cox, who lives in the desert near where Lloyd’s car was discovered, told authorities he spotted a woman matching Lloyd's description at a rest stop west of the national park three days after she was reported missing.

“It was kind of odd,” Cox told People, adding that he recognized her tattoos from the photos. “She’s just staring off toward the west. She didn’t have a purse or any luggage. ... There was no one around, and she wasn’t marked up — no bruises, no scratches.”
 
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tarabull said:
Bumping this little diddy....hmmmmm. (bbm below)
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tarabull said:
Bumping this too...i hadn't watched the video before now.
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so just wondering, after watching the video what are your thoughts/ theories?

For me personally, I am not entirely convinced that the siting was her. It’s so hard to come to such a conclusion without a) knowing if witness identified details that identify her that are otherwise not known b) the witnesses memory and recall abilities. However, I do hope he saw her Alive and well.

Another thing I question is this head injury/loss of memory thing. I worked in a level II trauma center as an RN for a little bit of time and I saw many MVA patients, especially those who were life flighted to us. Keep in mind however that we mostly dealt with neuro trauma and orthopedic, so if the patients needed ICU care, I didn’t get them until after they were stabilized there. If I had a patient that wasn’t able to recall who they were, etc. they were severe head injuries that were not walking or talking. So I’m unsure of the probability of amnesia occurring to that extent. But I do see that rationale/explanation used frequently in missing person/accident cases. If anyone has any data on that, I’d be interested in reading about it. So I don’t rule this theory out but I don’t necessarily feel that’s the case either.

As far as the vehicle after finally seeing it, I have 4 theories: a) Erika got into an accident and the car was vandalized after or b) Erika got into an accident and in a confused state locked herself out - which I find very unlikely because the windshield and back windows are definitely not the thinnest windows and are not the windows of choice for trying to get In the car c) Erika left the vehicle (by choice or otherwise) and someone else took it and wrecked and vandalized it. d) Erika had someone with her or met someone who caused panic which led to the state the vehicle is in.

I do not feel that it’s very likely Erika is safe and gone on her own fruition. I think the odds are against that.

Any thoughts or other ideas? I pray she is safe and can return to her son.

All MOO
 
Dnp2be said:
so just wondering, after watching the video what are your thoughts/ theories?

For me personally, I am not entirely convinced that the siting was her. It’s so hard to come to such a conclusion without a) knowing if witness identified details that identify her that are otherwise not known b) the witnesses memory and recall abilities. However, I do hope he saw her Alive and well.

Another thing I question is this head injury/loss of memory thing.
<RSBM>

I do not feel that it’s very likely Erika is safe and gone on her own fruition. I think the odds are against that.

Any thoughts or other ideas? I pray she is safe and can return to her son.

All MOO
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Hi there - I share your mistrust of a possible sightings, especially a week after she had been missing. I also think the car accident is family's way of clinging to hope and appreciate your expertise in the area and suggestion that it is highly unlikely.

I spent a lot of weekends in JTNP in the 2000s and there has always been a drifter presence (I should also emphasize a peaceful/not necessarily criminal drifter presence), there are public lands (not just the national park) around that allow for free camping - but I don't think you would give up a car voluntarily since many used that as their tent. I also think there would have been multiple sightings or people coming forward if she had voluntarily dropped off the grid.

In the desert, I always suspect misadventure first because it is so incredibly easy to get lost and it can happen very, very quickly (and even moreso if there were any drugs involved - I have no indication here that it was the case, but deserts and hallucinogens seem to go together in some circles).

The smashed windows are strange, but I would think if there was a violent struggle of any sort, then the reports would indicates blood was found? I guess it is possible we just aren't privy to that information.

I am still surprised that the remains discovered relatively near where her car was found did not turn out to be her. (Did anyone see a follow up on if those have been ID'ed)?

Wishing all the best for her parents and child, I hope they get the answers they deserve and are able to bring Erika home.
 

Unless I missed it before, there's new info around the 2;00 minute mark --- apparently Erika mentioned 2 guys she met camping -- she said that Christian & James were holding her campsite....
 
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A couple named James and Sherry lived out in that immediate area where Erika's car was found (on the same road). About 10 days after Erika went missing, Sherry sent James out on a bike to help a friend of hers whose car was stuck (a person named Doshea), and James went missing (alleged to be the human male remains found in that area recently.) This is the same immediate area Erika's car was found (Shelton Rd./Hwy 62) Interview with James' sister coming up on the show.

(I can't roll it back to re-listen to these details, but will post more details as soon as that's possible. Show is live now).

Erika told her roommate, (a week and a half earlier) that a "James" and a "Christian" were building her campsite. Erika's journal, found at campsite, stated that James and Christian were not there when she arrived.

Erika's car was found in the same spot James' last cell phone ping was and where his bike was found.

FYI: Not confirmed to be related, but very coincidental, if it's not.

Not sure if this information is in this thread, but allegedly the car was found vandalized first. It was not in the reported spot when the tow truck went to pick it up, and was later found on Shelton Rd. (per News Channel 3). The car was facing South, and the house Christian and James lived in was just North of the car. I posted the link under the GH video.


Twentynine Palms towing company gives a first look at Erika Lloyd's mysteriously damaged car - KESQ

Article about James (Escalera): Family looking for lost father
 
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swedeheart said:
A couple named James and Sherry lived out in that immediate area where Erika's car was found (on the same road). About 10 days after Erika went missing, Sherry sent James out on a bike to help a friend of hers whose car was stuck (a person named Doshea), and James went missing (alleged to be the human male remains found in that area recently.) This is the same immediate area Erika's car was found (Shelton Rd./Hwy 62) Interview with James' sister coming up on the show.

(I can't roll it back to re-listen to these details, but will post more details as soon as that's possible. Show is live now).

Erika told her roommate, (a week and a half earlier) that a "James" and a "Christian" were building her campsite. Erika's journal, found at campsite, stated that James and Christian were not there when she arrived.

Erika's car was found in the same spot James' last cell phone ping was and where his bike was found.

FYI: Not confirmed to be related, but very coincidental, if it's not.

Not sure if this information is in this thread, but allegedly the car was found vandalized first. It was not in the reported spot when the tow truck went to pick it up, and was later found on Shelton Rd. (per News Channel 3). The car was facing South, and the house Christian and James lived in was just North of the car. I posted the link under the GH video.


Twentynine Palms towing company gives a first look at Erika Lloyd's mysteriously damaged car - KESQ

Article about James (Escalera): Family looking for lost father
Click to expand...
Who is Christian and where is he now? The article linked doesn’t mention Christian at all.
 
allyoucantleavebehind said:
"Billings told KESQ, “I did find one person who saw Erika’s description walking down 62 with another person a week after she went missing,” said Billings.

Lloyd’s parents think maybe if she was in a car accident she could’ve sustained a brain injury."

https://heavy.com/news/2020/08/erika-lloyd-missing-5-fast-facts/
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insearchoflight said:
This is new, or at least new to me..

“Martin Cox, who lives in the desert near where Lloyd’s car was discovered, told authorities he spotted a woman matching Lloyd's description at a rest stop west of the national park three days after she was reported missing.

“It was kind of odd,” Cox told People, adding that he recognized her tattoos from the photos. “She’s just staring off toward the west. She didn’t have a purse or any luggage. ... There was no one around, and she wasn’t marked up — no bruises, no scratches.”
Click to expand...

I listened to the GH video then reread some of the posts on this thread. These sightings are starting to make sense. She went down there to “meet friends.“ Wonder if they lived on one of those compounds around the area her car was found. There’s some weird stuff going on there. I wonder how much LE knows but cannot prove at this point. I’m sure not many people who live nearby will voluntarily talk to LE.
 
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I just listened to the new information. The "Access Hollywood" video doesn't make it seem like she knew "Christian" & "James" in advance of her arrival at JTNP - especially since the friend being interviewed says "we can't find them in her phone". They also confirmed they have video of her entering the park (most likely in an undamaged car although that isn't explicitly stated).

JTNP campsites used to be first come, first serve all the time, which led to cars circling looking for spots and occasionally uncomfortable confrontations about who was there first or if someone didn't see tents set up, etc. Looking online, it appears to still be this way in the low season (i.e. summer). So if she pulled into a campground, I can see her befriending persons unknown and then asking them to "hold her site" - especially if she wasn't comfortable leaving stuff behind unattended.

There are several 4WD roads in the park - I haven't explored them myself, but I wonder if she and potentially her new-found friends went out exploring on them? They would not be kind to her car and the tow-truck folks indicate at least some of the damage (radiator and A/C damage) was consistent with a car crash/hitting something. That is definitely another oddity, that the damage to the car doesn't look like any one thing, rather a combination of vandalism (purposely smashed window) and some sort of driving mishap.

It would be so incredibly useful to know if it was her driving when the car left the park.
I also would love to know how "James" and "Christian" arrived at the park - if they came together in one car, was there any car following Erika's car on surveillance leaving the park? I also am curious how full the Jumbo Rocks campground was. Back when I used to go there regularly, it was not too difficult to find spots in the summer (and jumbo rocks has a lot more sites than some of the other campgrounds) - that said, JTNP has skyrocketed in popularity since I was last there and with COVID, I think a lot more ppl than normal were trying to "get outdoors". It feels like someone would have seen the car or heard it being vandalized if it happened in the campground itself...

I want to hold out hope since the PI seems to place credence in the sighting on Hwy 62, but I find it concerning that the two "other" campers haven't come forward if they had simply hung out with her at Jumbo Rocks. I know I should accept that there are many completely innocent people that just don't "do the right thing" for a wide variety of reasons.

Now unto the missing person "James Escalante" who is completely unrelated to the "James" from Jumbo Rocks campground. But may potentially be the missing remains found very near where Erika's car was found. What a weird coincidence, but I can't come up with any scenario where he fits into Erika's disappearance? What do others on here think?
 
Info about Erika starts at about 7:55. She drove to that campground twice. The first time she went was the 11-13th. She left on the 13th to go home and visit with her kid, then, when she was leaving to return to the campground, she mentioned to her roommate that "James" and "Christian" were holding her spot for her.

 
FYI: Additional (skeletal) remains were found in the same area (just off the same road Erika's car was found) on July 24. The remains that are expected to belong to James were found Aug. 11. So that's 2 sets of remains, and Erika's car, within the same 8 mile radius.

(Link about skeletal remains: HUMAN REMAINS FOUND IN WONDER VALLEY)
 
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swedeheart said:
FYI: Additional (skeletal) remains were found in the same area (just off the same road Erika's car was found) on July 24. The remains that are expected to belong to James were found Aug. 11. So that's 2 sets of remains, and Erika's car, within the same 8 mile radius.

(Link about skeletal remains: HUMAN REMAINS FOUND IN WONDER VALLEY)
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It’s been a while. I can’t seem to find any more info on the remains and if identified. But would it take them this long to determine if this was Erika? I honestly don’t know.
 
swedeheart said:
FYI: Additional (skeletal) remains were found in the same area (just off the same road Erika's car was found) on July 24. The remains that are expected to belong to James were found Aug. 11. So that's 2 sets of remains, and Erika's car, within the same 8 mile radius.

(Link about skeletal remains: HUMAN REMAINS FOUND IN WONDER VALLEY)
Click to expand...

Ok so the remains found July 24th are at Amboy & Wilson (north of hwy 62) and Erika's car along with James Escalante's bike and remains were discovered off Shelton Rd (south of hwy 62) - still reasonably close as you stated.
(EDIT - Watching GH video, I see that the car was *also* on the north side of hwy 62 - don't love listening, but he is great with the google earth and getting all the details put together!)
Does anyone have another link on the July 24th discovery with any further information?

I would be surprised that identification would take so long, but it isn't unheard of.
 
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gray is live now, interviewing the woman who lived in the house (with james). she thinks james had a heat stroke, and that this is not the same james that spoke with erika. sounds like this story is about to change again.


 
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