Mystery deepens around missing Upland father after car found abandoned in Riverside

Leticia Juarez Image
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
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Upland father of 3 missing for 10 days, car found in Riverside
A father of three has been missing for 10 days after his car was found crashed and abandoned in Riverside.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- The family of a missing Upland man is desperate for answers after his car was discovered abandoned in Riverside.

It's been 10 days and counting since anyone has seen or heard from William Richard Orellana, a father of three.

"We're devastated. We just want to know if he is OK," said Kacey Silvas.

Silvas has been dating Orellana for the past four years and shares a son with him. She says the 34-year-old has not been seen or heard from following a visit to his uncle's home in Perris on July 20.

"He has never not contacted one person. He has always been in touch with us. It's just unlike him to just vanish," said Silvas.

Silvas said she received a missed call from Orellana around 3:52 a.m. on July 21. It wasn't until she tried to contact him and got no answer that she began to worry.

Eventually, she contacted authorities - who saw that his vehicle had been towed following a collision in the city of Riverside.

"He doesn't know anybody in Riverside. He doesn't have any family in Riverside. The area that he was at was so isolated. We don't know how his car got there," she said.

Deepening the mystery, Orellana's white Chrysler was found abandoned. The Riverside Police Department is investigating the collision along Barton Street and Santa Inez Way early Saturday morning.

They say it appears Orellana's vehicle had hit a pole but not hard enough to deploy the airbag. Another driver collided with Orellana's vehicle which was partially in the roadway around five in the morning.

Police say the driver stayed at the scene and told police there was no one inside the vehicle he had hit.

"We don't know if he hit his head on the steering wheel. We don't know if he lost consciousness, he doesn't know who he is. We don't know at this point," said Silva.

Police did find Orellana's cellphone and his security uniform but not his wallet. Silvas said she filed a missing persons report with the Upland Police Department since the couple is from the area.

Since Orellana's disappearance, his family and friends have searched the area near the collision including an empty field. They've also posted fliers in the hopes someone knows something.

"Please bring him home, bring him home. He has kids and those kids need him," pleaded Silvas.

Anyone with information on Orellana's whereabouts is asked to contact the Upland Police Department at (909)946-7624 or the Riverside Police Department at (951) 354-2007.

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