Foul play is feared in the disappearance of Erika Lloyd, who sojourned from her Bay Area home in Walnut Creek on June 11 or thereabouts to San Bernardino County’s Desert Outback, where she has since vanished.
There is reason to believe that Lloyd, 37, intended to spend a few days in Joshua Tree National Park, most likely alone, but even that is uncertain.
What is known is that Park rangers came across Lloyd’s vandalized 2006 Black Honda Accord on Monday, June 15 at Indian Cove campground near Jumbo Rocks in Joshua Tree National Park.
There was no camping equipment in the car or in its immediate vicinity when the rangers observed the vehicle.
The back window and windshield had been broken, and the dashboard damaged. The rangers noted the vehicle’s presence in a report, and left a note on the car. That evening, the car had been removed.
The next day, Tuesday June 16, a California Highway Patrolman spotted the car on Shelton Road, east of Twentynine Palms. The car was facing the highway. The CHP had it towed away.
At that point, Lloyd had not been reported missing.
In previous phone contact with her family and friends, Lloyd had indicated she was on a road trip. All phone contact with her ended on June 14.
On Wednesday, June 17, her family reported her missing, giving indication she might be in the area of Joshua Tree National Park. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department dispatched a helicopter to scour the area. That effort was not fruitful.
The Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station was put on a special alert to be on the lookout for any sightings of her throughout the entirety of the more than 3,000 square mile desert area that includes Joshua Tree, Joshua Tree National Park, Twenynine Palms, Yucca Valley and their outlying areas. Park Rangers began searching areas within the park. Sheriff’s deputies, including ones with canines, searched areas at the entrance of the park and its periphery, as well as along Highway 62.
The Joshua Tree Search and Rescue Team engaged in an effort to find her or spot any signs that she was in the area.
By June 19, her parents caught a flight from Maryland to California in the hope that they could be of assistance in the search.
One troubling aspect of the case is Lloyd had deleted her Facebook page prior to her disappearance. She was active on Instagram until June 15.
According to her sister-in-law, Lloyd was “under a lot of stress and wanted to get away and unplug.”
She was employed at a beauty salon and had a young son.
Lloyd is described as Caucasian, 5 feet 7, slender with brown hair and blue eyes.
The Highway Patrol’s missing persons division was initially assigned to the case, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is now the lead agency. Detective Alan Pennington is working the case, which bears a reference number of #092001019. Pennington can be contacted at apennington@sbcsd.org or (760) 366-4180.