Joel Valdez – affectionately called “Deano” by anyone who knows him — is a family man, a devoted husband and father of three. The 36-year-old combat veteran served two tours in Afghanistan as a Marine, and now works in New Mexico as a lineman, responding to emergencies and natural disasters.
On Friday, September 18, 2025, on his way home from work, he vanished into thin air.
“It’s completely out of character, unlike him,” cousin Monique Garcia told Dateline. “He’s never disappeared. He’s never not come home.”
Monique is Deano’s older cousin, and has always had a special relationship with him. “We grew up very close-knit, tight-knit community, and extremely close family,” she said. “My mom comes from a family of six children.” Monique used to babysit Deano. “Our family grew up, like cousins were cousins, but we are almost like siblings, so we always saw each other growing up.”
Deano is married to Victoria Valdez, his high school sweetheart. They’ve been married for 15 years, and share three children, two sons, ages 14 and 10, and a 4-year-old daughter. “He was a very involved father,” Monique said. “He loved getting them out of the house and doing fun activities outside.”
Deano is beloved by his family and cousins. “Growing up, he was a prankster. He liked to be the center of the laughter, but not the center of attention,” Monique said. “As an adult, I think there’s that jokester in him, but he’s just more reserved in general. He’s the type of person, if you ask him for help, he’ll help you. He’ll go the extra mile.”
In the small town of Coyote, New Mexico, family gatherings center around Deano and Monique’s grandparents, who live on a 70-acre ranch. “Deano was always helping,” Monique said. “If my grandfather or his dad asked him for anything, he was always the first one. He was a person of integrity.”
Monique’s last conversation with Deano occurred a couple of weeks before his disappearance, over a cup of coffee at their grandparents’ home, a regular occurrence for the cousins. “Everything seemed normal. He was friendly,” Monique said.
Before his disappearance, Deano had been working in Silver City, New Mexico, on a long-term contract projected to go until December. According to Monique, during the weekdays, he was staying at an AirBnB, and on the weekends he would head back home to Coyote, in northern New Mexico to be with his family. On September 17, he spoke to his wife over FaceTime. “He had talked about the plan for the weekend,” Monique said. “They were going to chop wood, and he likes to take his sons fishing and stuff.”
On September 18, Deano left his job site to head home. “His boss confirmed that he left the yard around 12 o’clock,” Monique told Dateline. “At 2:30 p.m., he texted his wife saying he was on his way home.”
At 3:30 p.m., according to Monique, Deano spoke to one of his cousins on the phone. “Him and my cousin are really close,” she said. “Really, really tight best friends.” According to Monique, Deano told his cousin he was en route home and the two talked about their weekend plans.
Then, according to bank statements, he made a normal pitstop in Sante Fe. “Based on what we’re looking at, we suspect that he arrived to Santa Fe around 5:15, 5:30 p.m.,” Monique said.
Deano’s card was used at the ATM at 3150 Cerillos Road. “It’s the middle of Santa Fe, like, the busiest street in Santa Fe,” Monique said. “It was a normal amount of money that he would usually take out, just to have some cash at home,” Monique said. “We live remotely. Typically people from up here like to have a little cash on hand.”
Deano’s next transaction was at the Allsup’s gas station along the same street — 3000 Cerrillos Road. According to Monique, his cousins were able to access video footage of him that confirmed he was at that gas station at 5:40 p.m. on September 18. “He topped off his diesel,” Monique said. “He drove a diesel truck, so I’m assuming that he topped off, and then he was on his way home.”
From the family’s perspective, this is his last known location, and the last authorized use of Deano’s card. “After that, he essentially vanishes into thin air, which is impossible, right?” Monique said.
According to Monique, Deano had been invited by some friends to drop by for dinner in Española, New Mexico, on his way home. “They weren’t confirmed, but he should’ve been in Española at 6:20 p.m.,” she said. However, Monique says, Deano never met up with those friends for dinner. “So if we’re saying that he was in Santa Fe at, you know, 5:45, 6 o’clock, he would have been home 7:30.”
On September 18 at 6:49 p.m., Deano’s father, Dean Sr., called him. “Just to check in on him,” Monique said. “He didn’t answer, and it went straight to voicemail.” Deano’s wife was also trying to contact him that evening, and was especially worried when she didn’t hear from him in the morning. “They kind of had a system where he would text her first thing in the morning,” Monique said. “Alarm bells were going off when he didn’t text her.”
Dean Sr. called again in the morning when Deano didn’t show up for coffee with his grandparents. “He hadn’t gone, and so I think people were like, ‘What’s going on?,’ a little bit at first,” Monique said. “And then it became extremely worrisome as days passed.”
That weekend, Deano’s card was used three more times in Santa Fe, according to Monique. Those transactions have been labeled as unauthorized by the family, as they didn’t match Deano’s habits. At 5:30 a.m. on September 19, Deano’s card was again used at a gas station. “It was a very large amount, it wouldn’t have filled up his truck – it would’ve filled up a few vehicles,” Monique said. “So I think it was alarm bells again — like, why would somebody go to a gas station and they had just filled up the night before?” Two other transactions were also suspicious to the family. “They happened in quick succession, and so it just was extremely unlikely,” Monique said.
The family had the card shut off at that point. Monique says there were three more attempted card uses in Santa Fe during the evening of September 21 at local stores and a fast food restaurant. There is no attempted card activity after 9:00 p.m. on September 21.
On September 21, Deano’s wife Victoria filed a missing person report with the New Mexico State Police. “His wife had traveled to Santa Fe to look for him the days before,” Monique said. “She decided to call state police at that point and make the report.”
According to Monique, state police picked up the case and referred it to their investigation bureau. “We know they have to be tight-lipped about certain things,” Monique said. “We assume that there was some type of foul play, but that’s the assumption of the family. There’s been no confirmation from the police on that.”
Dateline reached out to the New Mexico State Police for comment. Sergeant Ricardo Breceda from the PIO and Media Relations Department replied, confirming that Deano was reported missing on September 21 by his wife. When asked if his office has reviewed the security footage Deano’s family says they saw of him at the Allsup’s in Sante Fe, or investigated the transactions made on his card from September 19-21, Breceda said they have requested the videos, but have not yet received them. They are still investigating the nature of the card transactions and cannot confirm if they are unauthorized. Breceda also noted they have not received any of Deano’s phone records or access to his social media.
On September 22, according to Monique, there was an unconfirmed, possible sighting of Deano’s truck in Albuquerque. “It’s word of mouth,” she said. “There’s license plate readers along the highway. We don’t know exactly where it was located, but we understood it to be going and coming to Santa Fe.”
Dateline asked Sgt. Breceda about the possible truck sighting. “We have seen the vehicle on License Plate Readers,” he wrote. “But as of today, have not located it.”
When asked if the department suspects foul play, Breceda responded, “the cause of his disappearance remains under investigation.” He did not provide any additional information on the case. “While we will share any information that can be made public, we must also uphold our duty to protect the integrity of the case,” he wrote.
The search for Deano has been swift and extensive, and it’s still ongoing. “The police have communicated what they can with the family, but it’s been really limited,” Monique said. So the family organized a search on September 25, drawing more than 50 participants. “We’ve just had coordinated efforts going out. We’ve broken up cities and quadrants and assigned different areas for people to search,” she said. “We don’t know what we’re doing. We’re doing the best we can with what we have, but I’m confident that we will hear some answers.”
Monique and Victoria’s two sisters have been handling all logistics and media on behalf of the family. “We’re the ones advocating for her and kind of speaking to the public and the community, representing the family,” Monique said. “Trying to get the word out and get the help we need.”
Deano’s disappearance is alarming for the family, who, according to Monique, sees no reason for Deano to have disappeared on his own. “Being away from home for a couple of weeks, the first thing most of us would want is a home cooked meal, to sleep in your bed, and hang out with your kids,” she said. “I can’t imagine that he would just disappear at his own accord and not communicate with his wife and his parents.”
Deano is also close with his extended family, another factor in his disappearance being entirely out of character. “He had a special relationship with my grandmother,” Monique said. “I know he would never just leave her to not know where he is, to worry about him. So it’s just super concerning.”
The search for Deano remains active, and any piece of information is helpful and important to the family. “We would love to just get the word out,” Monique said. “Because we just want him home, whatever that looks like.”
Deano is 36 years old, 5’11”, and weighs 170 lbs., with brown hair and eyes. He typically wears plain jeans, a T-shirt, and work boots. He is possibly wearing a two-tone cap — black mesh in the back and tan in the front with brown writing.
Deano drives a 2015 Chevy Silverado. The New Mexico license plate is 248-THP. His vehicle has not been located.
If you have any information, please contact the New Mexico State Police at 505-841-9256.
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