Redlands police say he hasn't been seen or heard from since May of 2023.
Now, detectives are investigating a religious organization Ghanem had recently departed to determine whether the group is connected to his disappearance.
Police discover new leads, evidence in 2023 disappearance of man tied to Hemet religious group
The twist in the case comes after detectives with the Claremont Police Department confirmed an individual at the center of a missing persons case from 2019 was also a member of the same religious organization.
"That individual has also not been seen or heard from since," said Carl Baker, a spokesperson for the Redlands police department. "So, we're looking at whether there's any connection between them."
Ruben Moreno was reported missing in August 2019. Claremont police said at the time of his disappearance, he was affiliated with the group His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, a religious organization based in Hemet.
As for Ghanem, Redlands police said he'd been a member of the group for more than 20 years, and was also employed at a pest control company that was owned and operated by the group.
But shortly before his disappearance in 2023, police said Ghanem left the religious organization, as well as the pest control company, to move to Nashville.
He returned to Southern California on a business trip shortly before he was reported missing.
"He had started his own pest control business," said Baker. "And it's my understanding was that he was in California to try to contact potential clients for his business."
Detectives said Ghanem was meeting a potential client at a Starbucks restaurant on May 25, 2023.
"That meeting is the last time he was seen or heard from," said Baker. "A short time later we did get video surveillance of a rental truck he was driving in Grand Terrace, but then that truck also disappeared."
Baker confirmed that shortly before that meeting, Ghanem had received a cease-and-desist order from the pest control company he'd resigned from, accusing him of attempting to meet with his former clients.
He also confirmed that Ghanem's truck has since been recovered, along with potential evidence. Baker wouldn't elaborate on what was found but said it's possible Ghanem was the victim of foul play.
"While this is a missing person's case, we are investigating it as a potential homicide."
Redlands police detectives say they have been in contact with His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, but say they're not cooperating with the investigation.
Eyewitness News has reached out to His Way Spirit Led Assemblies for comment are we're awaiting a response.