The Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a man who went missing in the desert in Wonder Valley Sunday (May 16). Family members told deputies that Joey Espinosa said he wanted to go to Twentynine Palms to “find God.” Espinosa’s grandmother dropped him off near Highway 62 and Ironage Road, where he told her he would be okay. Espinosa does not have a cell phone and has only a limited amount of water with him. Family members searched the area days later but have been unable to find him. On Thursday, a witness told deputies that a man matching Espinosa’s description had been seen near Vidal Junction on Highway 62. Espinosa is 20 years old, and is Hispanic, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs about 300 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. Joey Espinosa is likely suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness. He was wearing black pants and a royal blue T-shirt with “Matthew 4:4” printed on the back. Anyone with information should call Detective Halloway at 760-366-4175.
