Mohammad Ala

Additional details from the official case record, provided for identification.

Date of Birth

January 29, 1952 CP

Clothing Last Seen Wearing

A gray shirt, denim pants, black shoes, and a straw hat. CP

Distinguishing Characteristics

He is of Iranian descent. CP

Vehicle

Gold 2006 Toyota Avalon with California license plate 5TKD181. CP

Timeline, August 14, 2023

He was driving home to Laguna Beach from his brother's house in Long Beach after missing a freeway exit. At 4:30 p.m. his sister called because he was late, and he told her he had gotten lost but was back on track and would be home. He never arrived, and later calls went unanswered as his phone appeared to be off or out of battery. Before the phone stopped working, it connected to towers near Brookhurst Street in Fountain Valley, and then in Anaheim at 8:00 p.m. CP

The next day, August 15, 2023, a surveillance camera recorded his gold Toyota Avalon on Firestone Boulevard at the 605 Freeway in Downey, California. The recording did not show who was driving. CP

He is a retired professor who taught at the University of Wisconsin, the University of Southern California, and California State University, Los Angeles, and an award winning documentary film producer. CP

What Would Help Most

Dash camera, business, or home camera footage showing the gold 2006 Toyota Avalon, California plate 5TKD181, on the night of August 14, 2023 or in Downey near Firestone Boulevard and the 605 Freeway on August 15, 2023, or any sighting of the car or of Mohammad Ala after that night.

Sources: The Charley Project · Stu News Laguna via Muck Rack, Dave Hansen