PAUMA VALLEY, Calif. (CNS) - Authorities sought public help Friday in locating a 61-year-old Pauma Valley man who went missing under suspicious circumstances.
Investigators from the Southwest Station began their search around 7 a.m. Wednesday for Frank Torres after family members reported him missing on Tuesday, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.
During the investigation, Torres' vehicle was found abandoned near a park in Temecula, officials said.
Homicide investigators identified Derek Arnett, 66, as a person who was wanted for questioning in Torres' disappearance. He was located driving in Temecula near Wolf Valley Road and Wolf Valley Creek Drive. The vehicle eventually stopped in a parking lot off Pechanga Parkway, the agency reported.
Believing Arnett was armed with a gun, deputies called in the sheriff's Emergency Services Team for assistance. When deputies approached the vehicle, they found him with injuries consistent with an apparent self- inflicted gunshot wound. Despite lifesaving efforts, Arnett was pronounced dead at the scene.
No details on Arnett's relationship, if any, to Torres have been released.
As of Friday, Torres remains missing, and officials have not disclosed further information about what makes his disappearance suspicious.
Authorities urged anyone with information regarding Torres' whereabouts to contact Central Homicide Unit Investigator Hernandez at 951-955-2777 or Southwest Station Investigator Mills at 951-696-3000.
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