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

[Gregoryowen]

I watched the video about her car. IMHO, LE should be all over her car checking for evidence. Leaving that car sit in a tow yard does not seem right to me. The items in the trunk, the stroller and laundry basket should be dusted for fingerprints at the very least. There has to be evidence in and on that vehicle! The airbag would have prints on it for sure. Maybe I'm watching too many cop shows on television, but, they don't seem to have anything else to go on except her car.

 

[Gregoryowen]

I watched the video about her car. IMHO, LE should be all over her car checking for evidence. Leaving that car sit in a tow yard does not seem right to me. The items in the trunk, the stroller and laundry basket should be dusted for fingerprints at the very least. There has to be evidence in and on that vehicle! The airbag would have prints on it for sure. Maybe I'm watching too many cop shows on television, but, they don't seem to have anything else to go on except her car.

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

 

[archenemy toenail]

I wonder if she drove into the park, set up camp, woke up to find the vehicle vandalized, left camp to take the car to have the glass fixed, hit the berm in the road on the way out, disabling the vehicle, got out to walk and look for help, and then... Succumbed to heat and dehydration? Was abducted from the roadway? The avalanche of car problems was the straw that broke the camel's back and she walked into the desert to commit suicide?

This case reminds me of Maura Murray but in a hot climate.

 

[Gregoryowen]

I have read that the airbag-deployment controller contains an event data recorder and stores a few seconds of data such as vehicle speed, steering angle , throttle and brake pedal position, and impact-sensor data, that is saved following an airbag deployment, which can be accessed through the OBD-II port. Would any of this data be helpful to LE?

 

[allyoucantleavebehind]

I watched the video about her car. IMHO, LE should be all over her car checking for evidence. Leaving that car sit in a tow yard does not seem right to me. The items in the trunk, the stroller and laundry basket should be dusted for fingerprints at the very least. There has to be evidence in and on that vehicle! The airbag would have prints on it for sure. Maybe I'm watching too many cop shows on television, but, they don't seem to have anything else to go on except her car.

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

Why would she have a stroller in the trunk? I thought her son was 10 or a little older? Very strange. No one keeps strollers around after their kids outgrow them unless they are involved in caring for other kids?

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Why would she have a stroller in the trunk? I thought her son was 10 or a little older? Very strange. No one keeps strollers around after their kids outgrow them unless they are involved in caring for other kids?

I’m so glad you mentioned this! What on earth?

 

[zecats]

Why would she have a stroller in the trunk? I thought her son was 10 or a little older? Very strange. No one keeps strollers around after their kids outgrow them unless they are involved in caring for other kids?

Many times I see people using strollers for small dogs. May not necessarily have anything to do with children. Also not sure if she had a dog, or any pet, left at home...or with her for that matter. JMO

 

[scriabina]

Many times I see people using strollers for small dogs. May not necessarily have anything to do with children. Also not sure if she had a dog, or any pet, left at home...or with her for that matter. JMO

On her instagram, you can see she appears to have pet bunnies. Could the stroller have been for them?

LE should at least be able to find out the date of manufacture for the stroller and also see if the stroller is marketed for kids or small pets. I also wonder if they checked for fingerprints on the stroller -- did they match the fingerprints in the car? Are they confident the stroller belonged to her or could it belong to some drifter?

This case is mystifying.

 

[rainynights]

On her instagram, you can see she appears to have pet bunnies. Could the stroller have been for them?

LE should at least be able to find out the date of manufacture for the stroller and also see if the stroller is marketed for kids or small pets. I also wonder if they checked for fingerprints on the stroller -- did they match the fingerprints in the car? Are they confident the stroller belonged to her or could it belong to some drifter?

This case is mystifying.

Good catch, I wonder if that's what the stroller was for. Looking at the brand name, imo, it looks like it says Gen7Pets. I googled it, and found a site that sells pet stroller products. https://www.petmate.com/brands/gen7-pets/category/brand-gensevenpets


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

 

[allyoucantleavebehind]

Good catch, I wonder if that's what the stroller was for. Looking at the brand name, imo, it looks like it says Gen7Pets. I googled it, and found a site that sells pet stroller products. https://www.petmate.com/brands/gen7-pets/category/brand-gensevenpets

View attachment 261558
Twentynine Palms towing company gives a first look at Erika Lloyd's mysteriously damaged car - KESQ

Wow, @rainynights! You have an incredible eye.

 

[scriabina]

Good catch, I wonder if that's what the stroller was for. Looking at the brand name, imo, it looks like it says Gen7Pets. I googled it, and found a site that sells pet stroller products.

Wow, I hadn't seen that photo! Thank you. So it likely is for her rabbits...

If you're planning to go camping would you really use up valuable cargo space by keeping your rabbit stroller in the trunk? From that photo it appears there's not much room in the trunk for any camping equipment. Seems odd to me.

 

[Acorunadepor]

That does make some sense.

Damages car on roadway but able to drive it to Indian Cove Campground in JTNP and set up camp.

Tries to drive it into 29 Palms to get groceries and it breaks down further?

But why not call family for help, or a tow company, or ask another camper for assistance?

Remember she deleted her FB, and a co-worker said she wasn't reachable via her phone.

I think she went out there to seek something, a restart or something like that. Which is not uncommon. But IMO it could have been a lot more serious than that. A few little things can add up in such a situation.

 

[rockbottom56]

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

First look at the car, airbags did deploy, passenger side of the front windshield has a hole and the entire back windshield is gone. Extensive damage to the front bumper and undercarriage.

 

[j_in_c]

Wow, I hadn't seen that photo! Thank you. So it likely is for her rabbits...

If you're planning to go camping would you really use up valuable cargo space by keeping your rabbit stroller in the trunk? From that photo it appears there's not much room in the trunk for any camping equipment. Seems odd to me.

I would agree about a traditional car/tent camping vacation, but it seems she was more looking to get away from it all. It also seems (IMO) that she wasn't thinking clearly when she left with the conflicting stories about where she was headed. I really thought the recently discovered remains were going to bring her family answers - but odd that there has been no updates at all!

 

[Ajai Baktar]

I have read that the airbag-deployment controller contains an event data recorder and stores a few seconds of data such as vehicle speed, steering angle , throttle and brake pedal position, and impact-sensor data, that is saved following an airbag deployment, which can be accessed through the OBD-II port. Would any of this data be helpful to LE?

It would be great if it recorded the gps coordinates of the accident location.

 

[Hair of the Dog]

It looks to me like half of the backseat is covered by a pet carrier and a sunshade. Glass from the rear window is underneath it on the seat. That leaves even less room to pack items for camping. I wonder if anyone saw her packing to go and could speak to how much she took with her on her trip.

I would like to know what items were found at her campsite and whether any personal items were removed from her car by LE before it was towed.

MOO

 

[10ofRods]

I'm almost afraid to mention how poorly I think missing persons cases are handled out in the desert. Big stretches of federal land (defunded, no enforcement - BLM, NP, NM)...completely no man's land. Overburdened local county Sheriff (tremendously large region, much of it not under Sheriff's jurisdiction except by default - no tax revenue commensurate with the large area and its propensity for crime).

Sex offenders migrate out there. Weirds in general (amongst all the other nice people of course - but it's a cheap place to live, lots of places where a person can squat if they know what they're doing, many sinister actors, IMO). SBCSO does its best, but these missing person cases can only use up so many resources (fire management right now is huge - and yes, takes LE to help and there was one heckuva big one on federal land out that way).

It's going to take a private investigator or some fine sleuthing to solve this one. Most JT area MP cases are solved by members of the public (or family) finding or stumbling upon the body...often way later than we'd expect (the Amboy Crater couple is a good example).

 

[Hair of the Dog]

I also noticed that the compartment in front of the gear shift appears to be full of coins. Do joy riders take things or just drive?

Were the keys in the car when it was found?

Was her purse found in the car, at the campsite or not at all?

Was she dependent on any medications?

Did anyone encounter her during her stay at the park?

What was her demeanor?

Could she have been suffering from some type of heat induced illness that clouded her thinking and perceptions?

Just things I wonder about trying to make sense of what could have happened to Erica.

 

[zecats]

I'm almost afraid to mention how poorly I think missing persons cases are handled out in the desert. Big stretches of federal land (defunded, no enforcement - BLM, NP, NM)...completely no man's land. Overburdened local county Sheriff (tremendously large region, much of it not under Sheriff's jurisdiction except by default - no tax revenue commensurate with the large area and its propensity for crime).

Sex offenders migrate out there. Weirds in general (amongst all the other nice people of course - but it's a cheap place to live, lots of places where a person can squat if they know what they're doing, many sinister actors, IMO). SBCSO does its best, but these missing person cases can only use up so many resources (fire management right now is huge - and yes, takes LE to help and there was one heckuva big one on federal land out that way).

It's going to take a private investigator or some fine sleuthing to solve this one. Most JT area MP cases are solved by members of the public (or family) finding or stumbling upon the body...often way later than we'd expect (the Amboy Crater couple is a good example).

Or in the case of Paul Miller, by a drone operator from flyover photos. In Paul's case though, at least it was fairly well known where he went. JMO

 

[10ofRods]

Or in the case of Paul Miller, by a drone operator from flyover photos. In Paul's case though, at least it was fairly well known where he went. JMO

Right - although it's still amazing that some regular citizen is the one who made the discovery. Or, not amazing if you consider how big that desert is.

After reading the last few pages of this thread and looking at the car, pet-related things, and no camping equipment...I have serious concerns about Erika's mental health. Her change of plans (from Big Sur to Joshua Tree) is concerning. If she got into a single car accident and then took off on foot, though, you'd think she'd be found by now.