Author: Michael Gibson (KIII)Published: 12:08 AM CDT May 22, 2022Updated: 2:37 PM CDT May 22, 2022
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — 33-year-old Stevie Sanchez Jr. is now missing in the brush nine miles north of Alice off of Highway 281 after running from authorities.
His mother, Angela Sanchez, said she called 911 Friday night around 7:30 p.m. because of a mental health episode that Sanchez Jr. was having. He had been experiencing hallucinations for three weeks, and she felt that he needed help immediately.
She explained that a Jim Wells County deputy showed up, but her son became even more paranoid. He ran to his car, drove off, and pursuit began shortly after.
Sanchez said her son crashed the car along Highway 281 and he ran off into the brush after the crash. The family has been searching for him since receiving the news.
Sanchez spoke to 3NEWS as she and her husband continued to search for him in the area. “We can’t see in the dark so we’re just going to go home, pray, and wait until sunlight to get back out here again and try and find him safe.”
She was told that a game warden had spotted his tracks along Caliche Rd. heading north, but no one has been able to locate him. She hopes to get a large search party out there on Sunday to help.
3NEWS reached out to the Jim Wells Sheriff’s Department and were told an update could be provided on Monday.
