California mom remains missing 4 months after solo 'pandemic road trip,' family says
Erika Lloyd's car and personal belongings were found abandoned
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A San Francisco-area single mother remains missing four months after embarking on a solo “pandemic road trip.”
Her car and personal belongings were found abandoned outside Joshua Tree National Park, and her family is still searching for answers.
Erika Lloyd, 37, was last seen by her roommates on June 14 leaving her home in Walnut Creek, a city in Contra Costa County, about a 30-minute drive outside San Francisco, People reported last week. She has a 12-year-old son.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She allegedly told her roommates she was headed to Joshua Tree National Park to meet people, according to the Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Authorities have not been able to identify whom she might have been planning to meet.
Lloyd’s family said they lost contact with her on June 16 and reported her missing on June 17. About 500 miles south from her home, California Highway Patrol recovered Lloyd’s car and camping supplies abandoned and vandalized off of Highway 62 and Shelton Road, near Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree National Park, KESQ reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"She seemed like she was fine,” her mother, Ruth Lloyd, told the station in July. "Being [on] lockdown for almost three months not being able to work and she was trying to home school her son, it was starting to get to her the pressure and not having any income."
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Missing posters show Lloyd had two distinct tattoos on her arm and back. She is described as having dark brown hair and blue eyes, standing approximately 5 foot, 4 inches tall, and weighing 125 pounds.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Joshua Tree National Park is a popular tourist destination in southern California.
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.”
Investigators do not suspect foul play at this time. Anyone with information about Lloyd’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Walnut Creek Police Department or the Bernardino County Sheriff's Department at the Morongo Basin Station.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“The Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station is actively working this investigation. Searches are being conducted on the ground and from the air with assistance from Sheriff’s Aviation,” said the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in a statement to Fox News Tuesday, referencing Lloyd. “Unfortunately, she remains missing.”
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A GoFundMe page set up on July 13, about a month after Lloyd was last seen, raised more than $10,000 by Sunday.