SLO County woman asks for help finding husband who went missing after leaving suicide note
This article mentions suicide and may be troubling for some readers. Please read with care.
An Oceano woman is asking the public to help locate her husband, who went missing Wednesday after leaving a suicide note in their home.
Joseph Cox, 48, was seen on a Ring camera leaving his Oceano home at 3:42 p.m. Wednesday, his wife, Linda Cox, told the Tribune. He was wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a black hat. He also had a yellow flannel with him.
He was last seen around 4:30 p.m. that day, driving a gold 2008 Chevy Malibu LTZ turning onto Oak Park Boulevard near Grand Avenue in Grover Beach, heading toward Highway 101. The license plate of his vehicle is 6HGR522.
Joseph Cox is white, 5 feet, 8 inches tall, and weighs 165 pounds. He has green eyes and his hair is balding on the top, but he wears a hat most of the time, Linda Cox said. He has a full gray beard.
His wife said he could be anywhere in San Luis Obispo County or maybe near Tulare, where he grew up.
Linda Cox told the Tribune her husband’s phone and the location services of her husband’s Life 360 have been turned off since she arrived home Wednesday. He also took out $200 cash, according to bank statements.
On March 31, 2021, Joseph Cox had attempted suicide and was found by sheriff’s deputies after they located his car. He had been doing better recently, Linda Cox said, but an incident on the anniversary of the attempt this year triggered a rapid decline in his mental health.
“People are trying to view this as ‘this is all because of what happened yesterday,’ but that’s not true. This has been happening for a few months,” Linda Cox said.
She had been trying to get her husband help ever since he began declining but found no where to turn, she said. No local psychiatrists take their insurance, and the county did not have any programs he could qualify for. She said he was seeing a telehealth therapist but needed more support.
“There’s no place here for help,” Linda Cox told the Tribune. “There’s no place for somebody to go.”
Linda Cox was facing a mental health crisis of her own Tuesday — she said she has been working through PTSD since her husband’s suicide attempt the year prior — and was in constant contact with him while she was on the phone with her therapist. She said she was texting him while on the phone and he was telling her to be safe and come home, but when she told him she was arriving home, he stopped responding.
When Linda Cox got home, her husband and the car were gone, and she found a suicide note he’d left in their bedroom. She said she called 911 immediately, and San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s deputies arrived on scene by 5:15 p.m. She said the Sheriff’s Office told her they put an at-risk “BOLO,” meaning “be on the lookout,” but could not start an active search until the car was located.
“He is actively trying to kill himself, but they are not actively trying to find him,” she said.
Tony Cipolla, spokesperson with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, said the investigation is active and sent out a news release on Thursday afternoon.
Linda Cox began a social media campaign to spread the word and to try to get as many people to see what her husband and his car look like in case they may recognize them.
“I need people to help me find him,” she said.
Anyone who has information about Joseph Cox’s whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 805-781-4550.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 1-800-273-8255. You can also call the Central Coast Hotline at 800-783-0607 for 24-7 assistance. To learn the warning signs of suicide, visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 4:13 PM.
