“I worked with Joyce Friday night at The Whiskey Bar in the Pass. She clocked out and then shortly thereafter left the bar with a patron we know,” Langer wrote in a Facebook post dated April 27. 

Police confirmed that Keel and Gomez had previously been in a relationship. After she failed to come home to her two children and elderly father, friends and coworkers grew concerned.

During a video interview with WLOX News, Langer stated, “I kind of had a feeling that she was gone. Typically, a mother of two doesn’t just up and disappear — doesn’t decide to leave on their own volition. Yes, it does happen occasionally, but usually something else has happened. If she didn’t go home with her dad there and her two kids, then it was not her choice.”

The Pass Christian Police Department formally announced Gomez’s disappearance on Saturday, April 26, and began coordinating efforts with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department.

That same day, two photos of Gomez were shared with the public. In one image, she was smiling with her long, dark hair tied in a high ponytail. In the second, she was seen wearing a white top, her hair loose, with a lighthearted star filter across her face.