Officials in Booneville and Logan County have been searching for a missing man since June 20 after his wife reporting him missing and an intensive search following the discovery of his cars four day later has turned up little in the way of clues to his possible whereabouts.
Forty-seven Year-old James Valdez has not been heard from since June 17. His wife of approximately one month told police she and Valdez had gotten into an argument and he left their residence in in his 2010 Chevy Equinox. She reported him missing to police June 20o.
The vehicle was located four days later ten miles southeast of Booneville and reported by a concerned citizen, who said there was a cryptic message etched into the dirt on the back glass of the vehicle.
Although the vehicle was located in an area outside the jurisdiction of the Booneville Police Department, the initial call reporting Valdez missing came into that agency and the investigative division of the BPD has taken the lead into the subsequent inquiries.
According to a criminal investigator with that department, officers located the Equinox on Dry Creek Road in the unincorporated community of Sugar Creek in rural Logan County. The area is ten miles southeast of Booneville, eight miles due south of Magazine and just north of the Logan/Polk county line.
The citizen that called in the information was struck by the message traced into the dirt on the back window of he vehicle: "He is Near. Help me."
Search parties, including a dive team, searched a wide radius in and around the vehicle in an effort to locate any clue to Valdez's whereabouts. According to a lead investigator for the case an insurance card belonging to Valdez was located outside of the vehicle and a family member said some personal items, including clothing, may have been missing from the car as well.
Another concern for the family is the fact that Valdez is diabetic and when he left home after the argument with his wife he failed to take his medications with him.
Valdez is 47-years old and stands 5'9" tall and weighs 220 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
If you have any information on the location of James Valdez you are asked to call the Booneville Police Department at 479-675-3508.
