TX TX - Gary "PJ" Marcantel, Jr., 38, missing after calling 911 to get help with his car, found on Hwy 207, Armstrong County, 18 Jan 2025

[mlhenn]

No word on what was wrong with the car? If I had vehicle issues I I would call for a tow truck. Unless my car was damaged due to a road rage incident… then I would call 911.

The man was driving from Louisiana to Colorado when he stopped in the Panhandle due to a flat tire.

Missing Texas traveler sparks search in Panhandle after chilling temperatures

The man was driving from Louisiana to Colorado when he stopped in the Panhandle due to a flat tire.

www.khou.com

 

[OldCop]

It's about 2 1/2 hours from Harold to Claude. If he was in Harold around 2:30 am that would put him in Claude at the intersection of 287 and 207 about 4:00 am. If he had been driving all night and was getting tired, I can see how the 0 may have looked like the 8 causing him to make that mistake.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

The man was driving from Louisiana to Colorado when he stopped in the Panhandle due to a flat tire.

Missing Texas traveler sparks search in Panhandle after chilling temperatures

The man was driving from Louisiana to Colorado when he stopped in the Panhandle due to a flat tire.

www.khou.com

So why not just change the tire? I am going to guess this is similar to the David Schulz case.

 

[Bigditch]

PJ looks like he can handle himself.
What if someone spiked his tire at the gas station and then followed him?

Or, rando stops and pretends to offer help, and then forces PJ into their vehicle at gunpoint?

It might explain why he left his belongings behind. Plus, why he didn't change the flat tire.

 

[cenazoic]

So why not just change the tire?

Maybe he didn’t have one, it was flat, missing tools (jack/lugwrench), etc.

 

[Bigditch]

Okay no spare, but he called 911, and then doesn't stick around???

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Maybe he didn’t have one, it was flat, missing tools (jack/lugwrench), etc.

Maybe. Ex-Marine driving from LA to CO without a spare or the tools to change a tire? Seems odd. I am curious what his new job in CO was, and what all he had in the car with him. Ostensibly he was moving right? so his car would be packed with clothes and whatnot. So even though it was cold, he should have been alright. He might have called 911 due to not having service and that was all he could do. There is really nothing out there so for him to just wander off wouldn't seem the best decision, nor one you'd expect from a Marine. Marines are "Always ready".

 

[iamshadow21]

I don't know about in the US, but out here if you break down and you or your car is in a situation where it is actively dangerous, you are encouraged to be proactive about calling and reporting that to the appropriate people to protect yourself and others.

Maybe something about the situation - the position of the car, the weather - made him fear for his life and safety. If so, calling 911 would not be an overreaction.

MOO

 

[sunflowermomma]

PJ looks like he can handle himself.
What if someone spiked his tire at the gas station and then followed him?

Or, rando stops and pretends to offer help, and then forces PJ into their vehicle at gunpoint?

It might explain why he left his belongings behind. Plus, why he didn't change the flat tire.

Unsure why but this was my first thought too. Did he get robbed? MOO

 

[SimplyCass]

There are a lot of reasons that he may not have changed a flat tire, IF that is the car trouble he had. Some don't have a spare or the spare is bad after being in there for so many years. (they have said it's a Camry, but nothing else about the year, or whether he bought it used, for instance.)

Assuming he left and drove continuously, stopping at Harrold at 2:28 am, that's already 8-9 hours of driving, plus about three more hours to Claude. And he called 9-1-1 at 10:45 am? So...my guess is he might have taken a nap? That's at least five hours between when he would have been in the Claude area to when he called 9-1-1.

 

[GuyfromCanada]

JAN 28

UPDATE 11:30pm 01/28/2025

Apologies for the time, but we are a small agency. The Press was handled this afternoon, and I am just now sitting down to write this for those who follow social media.

The search is ongoing for Gary Joseph “PJ” Marcantel, Jr. To clarify, the search never stopped.

We have had nonprofit groups, law enforcement, volunteers, and even some who served with him in the military come help us. The latest additions were mules, more drones, and dogs. Cell phone data is being collected and passed on for further analysis. Although we have not found PJ, we are continuing to be diligent with boots on the ground and grid sweeps of the area.

I want to be clear that I have not turned away or denied any help whatsoever. Again, this is private property with land owners who have been very cooperative, but we must work with them to accomplish our goals. I have returned calls, listened to ideas and theories presented, analyzed data and information, studied maps with all groups, and am truly passionate about giving this family the closure they need and deserve, however that looks.

It has been 10 days since PJ was last heard from or seen. After speaking with the family as we do daily, he was entered as a missing person.

This information has been broadcast to the entire NW region. I spoke with 2 news stations on camera out of Amarillo this afternoon, and a 3rd was emailed the information. We, as an agency handling this case, are doing all we feel we can. I am personally out there daily from early morning until dark with my boots on the ground searching with the teams.

If you have a special set of skills, know the terrain we are dealing with, have time to volunteer and a way to get around, horses used to this terrain, SAR dogs that could be useful, etc, please contact my office and speak to me directly at 806-553-6933.

~Sheriff Melissa Anderson

https://www.facebook.com/sheriffmanderson/posts/pfbid02L3j73wUgpQMtjjmP1RazWhT6DXCZzRnB5rsuMV8adgNYQ1kb7jqv2fH6mCiSZaLPl

 

[GuyfromCanada]

JAN 29

What’s made the search difficult for first responders when Gary Joseph Marcantel Jr. was last seen it happened when the snow was coming down.

“This is rough territory there are drop-offs out there it is very steep terrain that you can only repel so to the bottom of these places,” said Adam Ensey, Armstrong County Judge. “At one point in the canyon, it is 780 feet deep. This is very treacherous territory. We want to thank everyone who has assisted us with the search.”

More at Search intensifies for Louisiana veteran missing in Armstrong County

JAN 30

Marcantel, 38, of Oberlin, LA, was en route to Colorado for a new job when he called 911 on the morning of January 18, reporting a flat tire and dangerously cold temperatures.

More at Louisiana Marine Veteran Still Missing After Car Trouble in Texas; Search Efforts Grow

 

[GuyfromCanada]

I've just realized that the entire Armstrong County has a population of less than 2000 people. This is a very rural area.

 

[Chimera]

This is already giving me Brandon Lawson vibes. Really hope they are able to find PJ.

Agreed. That's who I thought of.

Here it sounds like G.J. Marcantel just got lost ?
Still wonder why he left his car and belongings, though ?
Hope he's found soon !

 

[Chimera]

PJ looks like he can handle himself.
What if someone spiked his tire at the gas station and then followed him?

Or, rando stops and pretends to offer help, and then forces PJ into their vehicle at gunpoint?

It might explain why he left his belongings behind. Plus, why he didn't change the flat tire.

Bbm.
I'm trying to imagine a scenario where that could happen.
Only if he was already in trouble ... did he have any enemies ?
But in that case, why wait until he was traveling-- they'd have to be trailing him.
Thinking out loud.
Omo.

 

[iamshadow21]

Agreed. That's who I thought of.

Here it sounds like G.J. Marcantel just got lost ?
Still wonder why he left his car and belongings, though ?
Hope he's found soon !

Maybe he got out and tried to walk.

There was a girl who did the same in a snowstorm the other year, right down to leaving her belongings. There was a thread for her. She was found a short distance from her car. She got hypothermic, disoriented, and just lay down right there and passed away.

MOO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“The terrain is extremely dangerous, with steep drop-offs and canyons up to 780 feet deep,” said Armstrong County Judge Adam Ensey.

Louisiana Marine Veteran Still Missing After Car Trouble in Texas; Search Efforts Grow

The search continues for Gary Joseph "PJ" Marcantel, Jr., a Louisiana Marine veteran who vanished after experiencing car trouble in a dangerous stretch of Texas.

kpel965.com

A KXDJ listener who is a helicopter pilot that has assisted in searches like these told Samples that the man is ex-military with a history of mental illness and a history of going missing. He noted the area is “very rough and unforgiving country.” Listen to them talk about the case here.

https://highplainsobserverperryton.com/index267.htm

 

[jellybean96]

Im local-ish....and there is virtually no news about PJ being missing. Its weird....

 

[mlhenn]

Search continues for missing Oberlin man who had car trouble in freezing rural Texas

He vanished after calling 911 for help with a flat tire while driving through the remote Palo Duro Canyon area.

www.kplctv.com

Video
Feb 3 2025

 

[mlhenn]

Search continues for missing Oberlin man who had car trouble in freezing rural Texas

The search continues for an Oberlin man who vanished after getting a flat tire while driving in a remote area in freezing weather.

www.kplctv.com

•He called 911 at 10:46 a.m. from near the Palo Duro Canyon, southeast of Amarillo.
•When Marcantel spoke to dispatchers, he had been walking in the cold for four and a half hours and had a hard time describing his location, Anderson said.
•Law enforcement was unable to ping his phone due to the remote location.
•He did not walk away from his car under duress or by force.
•there is no evidence of foul play.
•Marcantel is believed to have taken his keys and a golf club with him