ST. GEORGE, Utah -- A St. George couple has asked for the public's help in locating their adult son, who disappeared in April after he left for a work trip to California.
Joshua Easley, 26, told his parents he was going to stop for new tires and make another stop in Ogden to visit some friends on the way to California.
Surveillance video footage confirms Josh stopped at a Walmart store with two other peoople and purchased tires on April 20.
David and Lucinda Martin, Josh's parents, said they haven't been told who Josh was with when he stopped at Walmart, but they do have the receipt for the tires.
On April 21, Josh called his parents from Ogden to check in. The Martins said there was nothing unusual about the call, but this would be the last time they heard from Josh.
The next call the Martins received about Josh came from the North Ogden Police Department.
"[Lucinda] got a call from North Ogden City saying that they found his car abandoned," David Martin said.
The car, a primer black Mitsubishi Galant, was found parked in the middle of a street. The keys were found about 10 feet behind it.
FOX 13 spoke with R.J. Schrimm, who originally found the abandoned car on the street in front of his house. Schrimm said he never saw any people in or around the vehicle.
"It was a little bit unusual and a little bit eerie, I guess," Schrimm said. "I'm more worried about what happened to the guy."
There was no gas in the vehicle - something Josh's parents said was highly unusual.
"It just wasn't right. They said it was out of gas and Josh, if his tank got below a half a tank he was 'gonna run out of gas'," Lucinda Martin said.
Police searched the area where Josh's car was found, but they found no other trace of the missing man.
Josh's phone hasn't been powered on since April 21 and there has been no activity on any of his financial accounts.
The missing man's parents said they fear something terrible has happened and they want closure.
"We're just looking for someone to tell us, you know, so we can have closure, one way or the other," David Martin said. "Where he is or if he's still here with us or if he's passed. One way or the other, we just wanna know."
St. George police and North Ogden police are both working on the case. Anyone with information on Josh's whereabouts is urged to call any of these numbers:
Det. Minnick, St. George Police Department
(435) 627-4300
Det. Rhoades or Det. Olsen, North Ogden Police Department
(801) 629-8221
Anonymous Tip Line
(435) 627-4373
Utah Missing Persons Tip Line
(435) 226-1231
Josh's family is also trying to raise money to hire a private investigator. If you would like to donate, visit: http://www.gofundme.com/gaswc0
