In the nearly three weeks since a Rio Arriba County man went missing in the Santa Fe area, troubling details have raised red flags for family members as they continue to hold onto hope of finding him.

Particularly suspect, loved ones say, are a series of debit card charges in the days after 36-year-old Joel “Deano” Valdez and his pickup disappeared.

Family members have organized a growing search effort for the Marine veteran and father of three who went missing Sept. 18 while traveling back to his rural hometown of Coyote in Northern New Mexico after a period of work in Silver City as a journeyman lineman. His last known location was an Allsup’s on Cerrillos Road.

New Mexico State Police has opened an investigation into his disappearance, Officer Wilson Silver confirmed, but the agency

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