Man’s disappearance prompts search of foothills near Brea, Rowland Heights

A man reported missing near the border of Brea and Rowland Heights remained unaccounted for after multiple law enforcement agencies searched nearby foothills for more than three hours on Tuesday, Oct. 9.

A construction company contacted authorities at about 3 p.m. after an employee failed to return from a delivery to a residential job site near the intersection of North Puente and Midbury streets, according to Brea Police Lt. Adam Hawley. He said officers located the vehicle the man had been driving near the intended delivery site, but its driver was not found.

The man’s employer told police he did not appear to be depressed or suicidal before his disappearance, and Hawley said the individual had no prior history of going missing. Investigators contacted the missing man’s relatives, but did not turn up any clues suggesting where he might  have gone.

Hawley said it is possible the man wandered into the hills north of the delivery site, prompting authorities to dispatch a helicopter from the Anaheim Police department to search for him. After aerial surveillance failed to locate the man, a bloodhound unit from the Pomona Police Department attempted to track his scent from the abandoned vehicle.

Teams spent hours combing the area, but were unable to locate the missing man, according to Hawley. He said authorities called off the search at about 6:30 p.m. as daylight faded on Tuesday evening.