Detectives investigating disappearance of 74-year-old Rancho Cucamonga man as possible kidnapping

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (KABC) -- The family of a missing 74-year-old Rancho Cucamonga man is desperate for answers after he mysteriously vanished. Deputies believe he may have been kidnapped, and now, the family is offering a $250,000 reward for his safe return.

Loved ones believe his kidnapping could be tied to the family's success in the cryptocurrency business.

"I miss him a lot," said Wen Hou about his father, Naiping Hou. "He's sort of a guide to my life."

Wen Hou, who made a fortune in cryptocurrency, even donating $1.1 million to the USC Keck School of Medicine to research heart disease, said he believes someone has stolen his father's identity and plundered his bank accounts for more than $1 million.

Wen also said he believes whoever did it was impersonating his father in communication with family members via text message.

"It's just so crazy that somebody might be impersonating my dad via text message," Wen said.

Wen believes it may have started earlier this year, when his father was remodeling their Rancho Cucamonga home in January 2025 after a massive water leak.

"He did not mention anything suspicious; we knew he'd been getting bids from multiple contractors," said Wen. "He was living actually at an apartment that insurance provided, so he wasn't always directly involved with the day-to-day repair."

Shortly after repairs were completed in March 2025, Naiping went on a fishing trip with his son and several other friends. Wen said it was a great trip.

"We had a great time," Wen said. "He was mentally well, and he was happy, and there was nothing off about his personality or anything like that."

Wen said that fishing trip was the last time he's seen his father in person. Naiping made a phone call with his wife, who was on an extended trip to China, on March 20. Authorities believe he was likely abducted in the days that followed.

Wen said he would communicate with his father via text message, but he now believes the person who was responding wasn't his father.

"I have really young children, and we frequently ask him if he wants to come and visit us," said Wen, noting that his father would rarely refuse a chance to come and visit his grandkids. But not anymore.

"He would refuse now... saying, 'I'm tired,' or 'I can't meet,' or 'I'll call you later,'" Wen said.

After several suspicious text message conversations, Wen asked that some family friends go over to the house to check on his father. When they arrived, they found the place to be empty. The lawn was overgrown, and the garage door was covered in handprints.

"Something really strange has happened here," said Wen. "There's absolutely nothing in there; completely empty. Not even trash."

"It's unbelievable that the people there are gone; the cars are gone; everything is gone," he said.

Wen said they later discovered many of his father's bank accounts had been plundered -- more than $1 million has been stolen so far.

"Money was being wired out to buy gold online," said Wen, who also said his father's accounts were being used to purchase cryptocurrency, in addition to large bars of gold. "He's not an online-savvy person, so I don't know how he's able to buy gold online."

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is investigating the case as a possible kidnapping and is asking for the public's help in finding clues to Naiping's disappearance.

Deputies completed an investigation at the home, even searching for forensic evidence under the tile.

"There have been an excessive amount of fraudulent withdrawals from his bank account," said Mara Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. "We're very concerned for his safety, and our main focus is to locate him and get him back with his family."

Wen said the family is offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to either Naiping's safe return or information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

"We're really worried, and we really want my dad back," Wen said.