VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) -- Joshua Copon has been searching for his friend for almost a week now.
“Instead of worrying about graduation or finding a job, I’m worried about finding a friend,” said Copon.
Copon and others are running an operation to find 22-year-old Denise Martin, who hasn’t been seen since June 19. Martin’s phone, wallet, and I.D. were all left behind at her house.
Henry Smalley says team members communicate with the chat app, Discord.
“We’re heading communications over here. We’ve got people in the field. Josh will pull up the maps and find the best places she could be hiding and relay that to us,” said Smalley.
The team uses helicopters, dogs, and boats. On Sunday, everyone was searching by foot.
“We had a tip last night that she was somewhere near Sandbridge Road, so we’re looking over there today,” said Smalley.
The team met at the Sandbridge Market, then paired off and trekked through water and brush, putting up signs.
Denise’s boyfriend Jordan Stroud is grateful for all the help.
“Working with her friends from home, they’ve been very, very helpful,” said Stroud.
Stroud also has a message from Denise’s father and brother: “We would like to thank the neighbors, the volunteers, and the friends of the family. We are overwhelmed by the love and support shown to us in this difficult time. She has no history of disappearing and this is very out of character for her. We love you, we miss you, and we have hundreds of people searching for you because we care about you. We want to help and we just want to know that you’re OK.”
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