Joshua Thiede, an Uber and Lyft driver missing for a week, has been found at Good Samaritan Hospital in downtown Los Angeles where he was reported to have been for days, with friends telling CBS News he seemed out of it and possibly drugged.
The 29-year-old’s mother, Janet Thiede, confirmed his discovery in a post on Facebook.
“We are extremely pleased to announce that Joshua Thiede has been found,” she said, adding that details surrounding his disappearance were limited as police continue their investigations.
“We are just extremely happy that he is alive,” she said. “We are continuing to ask the LAPD to investigate the circumstances that landed him in the hospital.”
According to Janet Thiede, her son was a health-conscious vegan who worked out regularly and followed an organic diet.
“He was driving Uber and Lyft to support himself while he worked on developing an organic shoe line,” she said.
The image she portrayed was in stark contrast to the person that Joshua Thiede ’s friends said they found in hospital, telling CBS that he appeared to be out of it.
Joshua Thiede disappeared on Feb. 12. He was last seen driving on Wilshire Boulevard just north of the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles, Inside Edition reported.
He reportedly dialed 911 but was disconnected on the day he was last seen.
Inside Edition reported that Joshua Thiede’s social media accounts had been deleted.
On Monday, police revealed they had found Joshua Thiede’s Nissan Altima in the 100 block of South Kingsley Drive in Koreatown, ABC News reported.
The car’s discovery could be “a major piece of the puzzle that was missing," said friend Kevin Young, according to CBS News. “I'm sure the LAPD, they've towed the car away now. I'm sure they'll be able get some sort of information from that."