Help Sought in Finding Fountain Valley Woman : Disappearance: She was last seen leaving work July 22. Real estate deals involving her had been under police investigation.

Homicide investigators are searching for a 28-year-old Fountain Valley woman who was last seen leaving work on July 22 and are seeking the public’s help.

Police originally believed that Kim Martello, a sales and marketing consultant, had disappeared intentionally because of an ongoing police investigation into real estate deals involving her. But they now think that she may be the victim of foul play, Fullerton Sgt. Dan Becerra said, because she left several business transactions unattended this week.

“According to her family, that’s not within her character,” he said.

Martello lives with her boyfriend, tennis pro Chris Hirtler, in Fountain Valley, Becerra said. Hirtler has been interviewed by police but is not the focus of their investigation, Becerra said.

Hirtler said he met Martello 3 1/2 years ago. “She used to walk by my tennis court all the time,” he said. “I struck up a conversation with her one day and the next thing we knew we were dating.”

Hirtler said he is puzzled by Martello’s disappearance.

“She’s a really vivacious, outgoing person and cares about everybody,” he said. “And everybody likes her too. She can make friends instantly.”

Hirtler described Martello as a “workaholic” whose hobby is “more work” when she isn’t taking care of her houseplants.

“She’s a very self-sufficient, very independent type of person,” he said.

Martello’s family lives in the San Diego area and could not be reached for comment.

Police said her co-workers at ERB Foods, 325 S. Hale Ave., in Fullerton, reported that she had arrived between 6 and 7 a.m. on July 22 and was last seen at about 9 a.m. as she left for what she said was a business appointment.

Becerra said Martello took her purse, pocket pager and car keys when she left the office but left her black 1990 Ford Thunderbird LX parked on the street in front of the business. The car was still parked there the next day, after Martello’s mother reported her missing.

Martello brokered wholesale food sales contracts for ERB Foods and performed similar services for other business clients as a self-employed consultant, police said.

The firm’s general manager, who called himself “Jeff,” said neither he nor his employees would comment on the case.

In January, 1990, Martello was involved in a small consulting company called Intertrade, police said, which was attempting to broker business deals in Eastern Europe.

“She is still involved in import-export trade,” Hirtler said.

Also, Martello had her own firm called Earnest Holdings, police said.

Police would not say Monday whether she was the primary target of the criminal investigation involving the real estate deals, but said only that she was involved. They declined to elaborate. No charges have been filed.

Becerra said police originally did not seek the public’s help in locating Martello because they thought she might have dropped out of sight deliberately.

But Becerra said police changed their minds and began to suspect foul play after Martello left several business deals unattended this week.

“She was very much on the go before,” Becerra said. “She was involved in a number of large-scale business dealings in the several-hundred-thousand-dollar range. A lot of her regular business is not being tended to.”

Martello is described as 5-foot-5, 105 pounds, with blue eyes and long blond-to-auburn hair. When last seen, police said, she was wearing a brown dress.

Anyone with information is asked to call Becerra at (714) 738-6776 on weekdays or at the Police Department’s main number, (714) 738-6800 after 5 p.m.