Flash bangs jolted neighbors awake around 2 a.m. on Aug. 6 as Redlands police served a search warrant at a home in Hemet.
Detectives said the search was connected to the disappearance of Ghanem, who was reported missing by his family more than two years ago.
Concerned for their safety, neighbors who spoke to Eyewitness News asked not to be identified.
"They were at the gate telling them they had a search warrant, to open up," one Hemet neighbor said. "It took them two or three hours to plow through with the bearcat."
The home detectives searched is tied to His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, a Hemet-based religious organization that Ghanem once belonged to. He reportedly left the organization shortly before his disappearance. Redlands police say Ghanem also worked for Fullshield, Inc., a pest control business owned and operated by the group. The business now operates under the name "Maxguard."
Investigators say Ghanem had been living in Nashville but returned to Southern California on business.
His last known sighting was on May 25, 2023, after meeting a potential client at a Starbucks in Redlands. A rented Nissan Frontier that Ghanem was driving was spotted on surveillance video later that day in Grand Terrace. Detectives later recovered the rental truck along with other evidence.
"There are always a lot of people out there. They have a bunch of camps and tents out there, but they were quiet. They kept to themselves. They really didn't do much," the Hemet neighbor said.
Redlands detectives are now working with Claremont police after learning another member of the same religious group was reported missing in 2019.
During the Aug. 6 search in Hemet, detectives said they recovered evidence connected to the investigation.
"I looked out there, holy moly, there was a forensic van there and a lot of detectives," another Hemet neighbor said.
Police said four people were detained and released. Two others were arrested on unrelated charges.
A man leaving the property refused to identify himself or comment.
"Very, very private to themselves. You see trucks coming and going, you know, quite a bit," the neighbor said.
On Tuesday, Aug. 12, a second home affiliated with His Way Spirit Led Assemblies was searched in connection with Ghanem's disappearance.
Redlands police, assisted by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, said officers served the search warrant in the 57000 block of Forestry Road in Anza at approximately 5 a.m.
Eight people at the home were briefly detained, but were later released. Redlands police said no arrests were made, but evidence was recovered.
Redlands police confirm they're treating Ghanem's disappearance as a potential homicide, but didn't disclose what evidence they recovered in Hemet and Anza or details of the group's connection.
Anyone with information about Ghanem, his disappearance or his whereabouts is urged to contact the Redlands Police Detective Bureau at (909) 551-4424 or by email at missingperson_emilio@redlandspolice.org.