Advertisement

Mysterious disappearance of Santa Clarita man puzzles investigators and family

Share

Authorities are looking for a Santa Clarita man whose mysterious disappearance has baffled investigators and family members.

William Cierzan, 58, disappeared without a trace on the evening of Jan. 26 and hasn’t been seen or heard from since, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigators.

His wife, Linda Cierzan, last spoke with him on the phone about 4 p.m. that day while he was cooking dinner for her, but when she arrived home about 7 p.m., he was gone, investigators said. His cellphone, wallet, keys, credit cards and vehicle were left behind, they said.

Advertisement

His wife notified deputies, who searched the home and found blood stains, Det. Ralph Hernandez said at a news conference on Wednesday.

“It is very much out of character for Will to do this and up and leave,” he said.

At the news conference, Linda Cierzan was overcome by tears as she pleaded for the public’s help in finding her husband.

“He was in a really good mood,” she said. “He was happy. He was telling me he was making dinner because he likes to cook now, and that he had a good day watching golf.”

Homicide detectives were called to investigate after the blood was found inside the couple’s home in the 26000 block of Cuatro Milpas Street. Laboratory tests will be done on the blood samples and investigators are “trying to come up with a scenario on how it got there,” Hernandez said. It is unclear whether it was William Cierzan’s blood.

Authorities have talked with a family member who was at home with Cierzan earlier that day, he said. The family member told detectives Cierzan was still home when the relative left for the day, he said.

“We don’t know what their interaction was during the course of the day,” Hernandez said.

Detectives said they are aware of video showing a vehicle similar to the relative’s vehicle pulling up to the home.

Advertisement

Authorities plan to enhance the video to identity the vehicle, as well as to collect and review other images in the area, Hernandez said.

“At this point, it is a missing-person case,” Hernandez said. “We don’t know that there’s in fact a criminal act involved in his disappearance.”

Linda Cierzan said she didn’t know the relative had visited her husband that day.

“He hadn’t mentioned him at all,” she said.

William Cierzan worked at Magic Mountain and was “a bit of a homebody,” officials said. He enjoyed playing golf, watching sports, playing with the couple’s dog and collecting Coca Cola memorabilia.

His sister, Andrea Peck, said her brother is one of six siblings.

Before he went missing, she said, he would call her every Sunday.

“I need him to give me that call on Sunday,” Peck said.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA

ALSO

Advertisement

Trump hints at cutting federal funds to UC Berkeley after violent protests over Milo Yiannopoulos

‘Obscene and hateful’ graffiti spray-painted on Islamic center in Roseville, police say

California snowpack reaches 173% of average, replenishing a third of state’s ‘snow-deficit’

Advertisement