Missing man may be victim of foul play, officials say - Orange County - California

Missing man may be victim of foul play, officials say

 By SALVADOR HERNANDEZ / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

LAGUNA HILLS – Investigators are asking for the public's help to find a truck driver who has been missing for nearly a month, authorities said.
Since Oscar Javier Contreras Escobar went missing, investigators said they have spotted suspicious ATM transactions on his bank accounts, said investigator Don Voght of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Officials believe he may be the victim of foul play.

Oscar Javier Contreras Escobar has been missing since Aug. 28. Authorities suspect he may be the victim of foul play.

Courtesy of Orange County Sheriff's Department

The 29-year-old truck driver was last seen Aug. 28, just after he finished a long haul from the East Coast, according to a statement from the Sheriff's Department.
Escobar arrived at Victorville at 6:30 a.m. with his big-rig. Sometime between 7 and 9 a.m., he was dropped off by a friend in Fontana near Foothill Boulevard and Mango Street to meet up with a female friend. Authorities have yet to identify her, Voght said.
"His phone is either turned off or the battery has died since," Voght said.
Escobar has not contacted family members, which is odd for the Laguna Hills resident, he said.
His family members filed a missing-person report Sept. 4.
Investigators have found suspicious transactions in Escobar's accounts and are trying to track down that information, Voght said.
Escobar lives in Laguna Hills, but he frequents the Inland Empire. He also stays in motels in Fontana. Several family members live in Lake Forest.
He is described as a Latino man, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, 135 pounds with brown eyes and a bald head. He had a moustache and goatee.
When he was last seen, he was wearing a white T-shirt, brown cargo shorts, and white Nike shoes with a black swoosh.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff's Department at 714-647-7055 or 714-628-7170.
Contact the writer: shernandez@ocregister.com or 949-454-7361