Father Missing in the Ozarks: The Disappearance of James Lubin Valdez

James Lubin Valdez had just surpassed a full year of sobriety. He had lost weight and had learned how to manage his Type I diabetes.

In May of 2021, James married his girlfriend of several years, Anna. Anna had previously told him they would not marry until James managed to stay sober for at least one year- and he had succeeded.

But the marriage wasn’t without its problems.

On June 9, 2021, James and Anna had a fight, and James left the house. James visited his wife later at work, and the argument continued. After, he went home and packed a bag. He planned on going to the nearby Ozarks to visit his teenage daughter.

The events of the next week are unclear. There are mixed reports, and many who said they might have seen him or interacted with him, couldn’t remember the exact dates.

On June 19, 2021, Jamie’s friend, and Anna’s boss, came across Jamie’s car near a swimming hole, and also near a home that Jamie’s family had lived in. This was also 10 miles from where he currently lived with Anna and her family.

The car was found in an unusual way. It was filthy dirty, the front seat was pulled all the way up, and someone had written in the dirt on the back window. It simply read, ‘Help me, he is near.’