West Covina missing person case: 3 detained in La Verne after gloves, bloody clothing found in trunk

LA VERNE, Calif. (KABC) -- A police SWAT team descended on a home in La Verne on Tuesday morning and three people were detained amid the ongoing search for a West Covina man who has been missing since last week, authorities said.

Family members contacted police on Saturday and reported that John Brian Mananghaya Aguila, 28, had not been heard from since 4:40 p.m. two days earlier, according to the West Covina Police Department.

Aguila has not reported to work or returned home, his family said, adding that such conduct was uncharacteristic of him.

Aguila, a firefighter, was last seen on his way home from his girlfriend's house Thursday night.

Investigators later learned that Aguila's white 2017 Honda Civic had been discovered in San Dimas on Friday and impounded. Surveillance video shows "a male leaving from the car and walking away from it," police said in a statement, but it was determined that the individual was not Aguila.

Authorities said gloves and clothing with blood on it were found in the trunk of the Civic, and evidence collected helped investigators identify the male seen in the video.

A West Covina SWAT team served a search warrant at a home in 1400 block of Third Street in La Verne shortly after 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and detained three people who were inside, according to a police news release. They were not publicly identified.

Their connection to Aguila is unclear.

"The dots have led us here, and we're hoping that as a result of this investigation, it's going to lead us elsewhere," said Rudy Lopez of the West Covina Police Department.

Investigators are processing the scene in La Verne and checking to see if there are links to any murders in the area.

Police aren't sure if Aguila is still alive.

Anyone with information about Aguila's whereabouts is asked to call West Covina police at (626) 939-8557. Anonymous tips can be left on a recorded line at (626) 939-8688.