LYNNWOOD — Jose P. Sanchez Diaz was working and getting ready to go back to school.
He was a few credits short of a high school diploma and looking forward to completing that goal at Edmonds Community College, said his foster mother, Karla Danson.
Sanchez Diaz, 20, of Lynnwood, was last seen in the early hours of Aug. 29, playing video games at a friend’s house. Police are asking for the public’s help in finding him. His family is devastated, Danson said.
Sanchez Diaz is considered an endangered missing person, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. He hasn’t talked to friends or family and hasn’t accessed his bank account or social media.
“We’ve had no luck in getting good tips from the public about Jose,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said. “Detectives and family are very concerned about his safety.”
Sanchez Diaz was raised by his grandparents in Honduras. He came to the U.S. at 17 and qualified for a federal resettlement program.
He was placed in Danson’s home through a Lutheran Community Services foster care program, she said. She helped him learn English and get enrolled at Mountlake Terrace High School.
“After just six months with us, he was able to speak and read and write English,” she said. “He was beloved in his high school.”
He completed three years there. This summer he had been going through testing and being advised on to start a high school completion program at Edmonds Community College, Danson said.
“There’s no way that he took off,” she said. “He’s supposed to start college next week.”
She described him as a quiet young man with a goofy sense of humor.
“I have about 100 pictures that I’ve pulled out,” she said. “Every single one of them has a bright smile.”
For the past year Sanchez Diaz has been working as a chef at a Qdoba Mexican Grill in North Seattle. He never misses work, Danson said. He had used money from the job to buy his own used car, a red 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Washington plate number AUH2654, that also is missing. Anyone with information is asked to call 911. Anonymous tips can be left for the sheriff’s office at 425-388-3845.
“He was a part of our family,” Danson said. “He’s been really working hard to accomplish goals that he set for himself.”
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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