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

[Yvettea]

All disappearances/deaths in the desert seem strange to me. I haven’t learned to factor in the brute forces of dehydration and intense heat. Some combinations are unsurvivable.

Many people are mighty fortunate to make it back from their ‘hike/ride’ alive.

 

[10ofRods]

In Gray Hughes Investigates (link at post #380) there were two more things I noted (bolded) that were interesting to me beginning at approximately 1:52

Her friends kept calling her phone and it was eventually answered on 6/20 by a male who said he found it 6/18 "on Cottonwood".

There is a Cottonwood campground at the opposite end of the park from Jumbo Rocks and Indian Cove campgrounds. Did she drive to the park via I-10 and toss her phone out on her way in? Her mother spoke to her on the 15th (time unknown) and said she was talking really fast and it sounded like she was driving.

An expensive Yeti cooler was found at Erika's campsite that she was not known to own.

Could Erika in a state of confusion, have taken that from another campsite thinking it was hers or perhaps thinking it belonged to "James or Christian", who she said were holding her campsite? Could that have precipitated someone vandalizing her car?

The foregoing is MOO, just throwing out some possibilities trying to figure out what could have happened to Erika. I hope they will identify the set of remains found south of the intersection of Amboy and Wilson Roads. If it is not Erika then at least that can be ruled out and hopefully another family can get closure.

There's a Cottonwood Drive in 29 Palms. The phrase "on Cottonwood" says to me that it's a street and this particular Cottonwood Drive is the closest Cottonwood Street or Drive to where Erika went missing.

It's at the edge of town and runs through some desert blocks with no houses or commercial buildings, as well as past a museum, an art gallery and a motel.

 

[StormyRyains]

A new podcast came out on Locations Unknown.

It's interesting, because they looked into the case from a completely outside perspective. They try to cover missing persons cases in the national parks.

They tried to use only MSM. But it struck me that so much more is known about this case - and aside from Gray Hughes, no one is covering it.

There's something really wrong out there.

yes something very wrong indeed lots of people on meth other stuff people do messed up things on the crap i think she rn into the wrong people but i don't understand why she deleted her Facebook prior to leaving and why would she come in June when we had a heat advisory she didn't bring anything to protect herself and she could have been meting someone how come she didn't take her son? I go to Vegas often i take hwy 62 i throw roses by her sign when i go by

 

[StormyRyains]

A new podcast came out on Locations Unknown.

It's interesting, because they looked into the case from a completely outside perspective. They try to cover missing persons cases in the national parks.

They tried to use only MSM. But it struck me that so much more is known about this case - and aside from Gray Hughes, no one is covering it.

There's something really wrong out there.

yes something very wrong indeed lots of people on meth other stuff people do messed up things on the crap i think she rn into the wrong people but i don't understand why she deleted her Facebook prior to leaving and why would she come in June when we had a heat advisory she didn't bring anything to protect herself and she could have been meting someone how come she didn't take her son? I go to Vegas often i take hwy 62 i throw roses by her sign when i go by

Adding in July 22nd & August 8th:

Super brief timeline:
Jun 11-13 - Erika camping at Jumbo Rocks campground (JTNP)
Jun 13-14 - Erika in Walnut Creek with family/roomate
Jun 14 - Erika returns to Jumbo Rocks Campground - Notes in her journal that "James" & "Christian" are not there (they were supposed to be holding her site for her)
Jun 15 (?? or 16th??)- Note left on damaged car by ranger (campsite not discovered due to distance)
Jun 16 - Car leaves north entrance (29 palms) at 1:20, filmed passing school, then abandoned on Shelton Rd @4pm and towed.
Twentynine Palms towing company gives a first look at Erika Lloyd's mysteriously damaged car - KESQ
Jun 24 - Remains discovered Amboy & Wilson
Jun 25 - James Escalanta goes on bike ride to assist stranded motorist "Dee", never returns (Sherry believes he may have succumb to heatstroke)
Family looking for lost father
July 22 - Skeletal remains about a quarter-mile south of Amboy Road and Wilson Road in Wonder Valley
Aug 8 - Remains had been found near Shelton Road and Highway 62, east of Twentynine Palms
Oct 2020 - still no identification on either set of remains??

So she was in JTNP then went home and then Return to the park? where did they find journal?

 

[StormyRyains]

Someone knows something. This has gone on long enough her family deserves to know where she is and what happened. Her son wants his mother home if you have seen Erika Lloyd or know anything about her whereabouts please call 91l1 immediately. I will do anything I can to spead the word. I won't stop looking ​

 

[Dre]

This is a crazy story. I spent a long time researching and went on many tangents. I fear that between her state of mind and the unrelenting heat that she passed due to the exposure. I would like to see an update on those first set of remains found...
Just a crazy story! I hope they figured out who the men were who saved her a spot at the site. Hoping for some answers for her poor family!

 

[10ofRods]

Still no update that I can see. Nothing on the SBCSO website about that second set of remains. In fact, I can't find anything about JE, either.

She is now missing for 7 months. No updates from family that I can find.

 

[Dre]

@Testaccount765
Welcome to websleuths! glad that youre here and hope you stick around!
unfortunately, due to the nature of Facebook, reddit etc, we are not allowed to link! The rumor-mill is alive and well on there and cannot be brought to this platform.
You can use articles and law enforcement as sources, but most other things need to be tailored correctly or eliminated altogether or else rumors grow legs and get out of hand quickly, our mods work so hard already. here's detailed TOS
hope you can figure out a way to discuss that theory in a way that fits the rules. I know it might feel frustrating to get used to the huge contrast, but its well, well worth it for respectful and productive communication and sleuthing. Hope to see you around!

 

[maruchan]

Hello, I created an account just to point out something I haven't seen noted: Her last instagram post, the alien one, has a bunch of Russian-language comments. It's notable because *none* of the other posts have any Russian comments at all, only this one, and there isn't any indication she's of Russian origin.
I don't speak Russian so passed the comments through Google translate, which is , but there are a few mentions of "Fear" and "mp4" (which is a video format), and seemingly concerned women. This comment caught my attention (again, translation, would be great if a Russian speaker could review comments):

_______krolik_______ Like if from Jack Kramer here.

-When you google "Jack Kramer" and "Russian" the first thing that comes up is an old twitter account https://twitter.com/kramer_jack that looks to be a Russian mail-order bride or prostitution site.

-When you click on the several Russian-language accounts that commented, many seem like puppet accounts w very few posts. But a few seem like people who travel often between Russian-speaking countries and the US. See: Login • Instagram Login • Instagram @savage_07 There is also a @savage_07 twitter account that also advertises Russian women, last updated 2010 https://twitter.com/savage_07

-Why relevant? The Russian mafia is very active in California, both in human trafficking/prostitution and drugs, especially meth and cannabis ("maksim" has lots of photos of infrared cams which are used in illegal weed farms). That savage_07 account has a photo in Arcata, Humboldt County, a center of Russian mob activity where *many* women have gone missing. This is one pretty famous case: Woman Missing Out of Arcata since January; Mother and Law Enforcement Seek Information – Redheaded Blackbelt

It seems Erika was having a rough time and perhaps getting into contact with sketchy characters, so who knows if this might be a sign towards that, or just a random and weird occurrence.

Pure speculation!

 

[10ofRods]

This is a crazy story. I spent a long time researching and went on many tangents. I fear that between her state of mind and the unrelenting heat that she passed due to the exposure. I would like to see an update on those first set of remains found...
Just a crazy story! I hope they figured out who the men were who saved her a spot at the site. Hoping for some answers for her poor family!

Where, though? Do you think someone else stole her car at the campground and that she wandered off from her camp? Rangers saw that her car was damaged inside the campground. To me, it's strange that vandals would come into the campground and do that amount of damage, then leave. Did the same people then come back and steal the car?

Surely Erika would have noticed the vandalism and contacted rangers? So...when and where did she actually go missing? It must have been before the vandalism, indicating that she went missing in the park, but the car led elsewhere.

 

[tarabull]

BODY FOUND EAST OF TWENTYNINE PALMS IN AUGUST IDENTIFIED | Z107.7 FM
January 5, 2021

Snipped...
The family of a 56-year-old Wonder Valley man who went missing in June has confirmed that his body was found in August. James Escalante, also known as Blackhawk, left his home June 25 on his bicycle to help a friend who had become stuck.

 

[Limecat]

Just checking in for Erika. I continue to pray for her and her family, that one day soon they’ll have answers. Such a crazy, sad case.

 

[Hair of the Dog]

This is a crazy story. I spent a long time researching and went on many tangents. I fear that between her state of mind and the unrelenting heat that she passed due to the exposure. I would like to see an update on those first set of remains found...
Just a crazy story! I hope they figured out who the men were who saved her a spot at the site. Hoping for some answers for her poor family!

Sadly, I think you are right @Dre. My heart goes out to her family, left to wonder.

When Erika's best friend Rebecca Malone was interviewed (@tarabull post 367), she said that there was no indication of any contact with a James or Christian in Erika's phone for them to give to LE.

I am curious about the other set of remains too. I emailed the reporter Dani Romero from KESQ Channel 3 today to see if they had ever been identified or even determined to be male or female. If she responds, I will post.

MOO

 

[irkban]

Hello, I created an account just to point out something I haven't seen noted: Her last instagram post, the alien one, has a bunch of Russian-language comments. It's notable because *none* of the other posts have any Russian comments at all, only this one, and there isn't any indication she's of Russian origin.
I don't speak Russian so passed the comments through Google translate, which is ******, but there are a few mentions of "Fear" and "mp4" (which is a video format), and seemingly concerned women. This comment caught my attention (again, ****** translation, would be great if a Russian speaker could review comments):

_______krolik_______ Like if from Jack Kramer here.

-When you google "Jack Kramer" and "Russian" the first thing that comes up is an old twitter account https://twitter.com/kramer_jack that looks to be a Russian mail-order bride or prostitution site.

-When you click on the several Russian-language accounts that commented, many seem like puppet accounts w very few posts. But a few seem like people who travel often between Russian-speaking countries and the US. See: Login • Instagram Login • Instagram @savage_07 There is also a @savage_07 twitter account that also advertises Russian women, last updated 2010 https://twitter.com/savage_07

-Why relevant? The Russian mafia is very active in California, both in human trafficking/prostitution and drugs, especially meth and cannabis ("maksim" has lots of photos of infrared cams which are used in illegal weed farms). That savage_07 account has a photo in Arcata, Humboldt County, a center of Russian mob activity where *many* women have gone missing. This is one pretty famous case: Woman Missing Out of Arcata since January; Mother and Law Enforcement Seek Information – Redheaded Blackbelt

It seems Erika was having a rough time and perhaps getting into contact with sketchy characters, so who knows if this might be a sign towards that, or just a random and weird occurrence.

Pure speculation!

I'm a native Russian speaker, so I hope I can nip this one in the bud. Most of the comments on that instagram posts are from people expressing interest/concern over her disappearance, with mentions of how they found out about it. That's what the references to fear.mp4 are about - it's a Russian language YouTube channel that covers unsolved mysteries from all over the world. It's literally the second google result if you search "fear mp4." You'll recognize the style of these videos immediately even if you don't speak Russian. "Джек Краймер" (Jack Kramer) is another channel doing the same kind of video.

Only the first comment strikes me as odd because it just doesn't fit the context. My rough translation of the comments is below:

First screenshot
liisanekurit: You haven't been at the street races for a long time. [This is the only one that seems weird, but this account looks like a teenage girl who writes in Russian and Finnish, so likely lives there and not someone who actually knew Erika. There could also be a slang meaning here that I'm not picking up on, or maybe music lyrics?]

____krolik____: Like if you're here from Jack Kramer [the YouTube channel]

Second screenshot:
kgfssdftrr: Who is here from Fear mp4?

kulikovmaksim2339: Did they find her?

elka_dos: Like if you're here from YouTube and saw the video about her. HELOO I'm from is Kazakstan.

Third screenshot:
savage_07: Hello from Moldova, here from fear.mp4, I fall asleep well to this kind of content.

tajibaevk: I noticed on the video there were [?] in people[.] there were more than now[.] 7 people unfollowed this account. [the ? is because I think this is a typo but anyway I think it refers to the follower count]

arsecha_che: Where did you go/disappear to?

Other comments say things like "I saw about her on YouTube from Kazakhstan. It made me sad the she still has not been found," or they're asking for updates/giving information from the news. One person claiming to be a psychic. All in all, pretty much the same kind of comments you see from English speakers interested in mysteries. Not so different from the websleuth crowd. Some of these are probably bot accounts too, just like the English language ones that post comments on notable posts. I think sometimes the "foreign" or "different" can seem suspicious or spooky to someone who is unfamiliar with it, and I just hope that the next time anyone reading this has that reaction, that they consider whether there are any unconscious assumptions playing into that.

 

[swedeheart]

Human remains found in Wonder Valley field (making it a total of 3 bodies found in that area).

"WONDER VALLEY — County coroners are working to identify human remains found by hikers in the open desert here Sunday morning, Jan. 31."

I just started watching last night's GHI, and he discussed this article about the body at the beginning, and maps it out. It's quite close to where James' and the other body was found.

Starts at 10:00

 

[10ofRods]

Sadly, I think you are right @Dre. My heart goes out to her family, left to wonder.

When Erika's best friend Rebecca Malone was interviewed (@tarabull post 367), she said that there was no indication of any contact with a James or Christian in Erika's phone for them to give to LE.

I am curious about the other set of remains too. I emailed the reporter Dani Romero from KESQ Channel 3 today to see if they had ever been identified or even determined to be male or female. If she responds, I will post.

MOO

Perhaps they were using What's App instead. Or similar. James and Christian both sound like masculine names.

At any rate, Erika mentioned them to someone, I just can't remember offhand who she told.

 

[Hair of the Dog]

Perhaps they were using What's App instead. Or similar. James and Christian both sound like masculine names.

At any rate, Erika mentioned them to someone, I just can't remember offhand who she told.

It was Erika's friend Rebecca who told Access (see @tarabull Post#367) that they couldn't find any evidence of "James and Christian" in Erika's phone to give LE.

"James and Christian" also came up in Gray Hughes' YouTube (see @swedeheart Post #380), at about 1:42 he talks about Erika's timeline.

6/11-6/13 Erika went to Jumbo Rocks campground

6/13 Erika talked to friends, returned home, told her roommate she should come back to Joshua Tree with her, "James and Christian are holding my campsite"

6/14 Erika drops her son off at 4:00 am (no additional info given)

6/15 Erika arrives back at the park, "James and Christian" aren't there. According to a notation in her journal found at her campsite by Rangers 6/24.

 

[tarabull]

U know whats strange is the skeleton near Shelton Road ended up being a "James"....
...coinkydink???

 

[Hair of the Dog]

U know whats strange is the skeleton near Shelton Road ended up being a "James"....
...coinkydink???

IIRC Gray Hughes also noted the coincidence and asked Shari if James Escalante could be the "James" Erika knew and she said no. I am going from memory on that. See @swedeheart #380 for the interview with Shari and Tank, friends of James Escalante.

MOO.

 

[Limecat]

I’m so stumped. If the circumstances surrounding her vehicle weren’t so mystifying I would lean toward she just wasn’t prepared to handle the heat/environment and succumbed. But there’s too many oddities in this story that make me question...well, everything.