Laguna Beach police seek help in finding missing 71-year-old resident

Laguna Beach authorities are requesting the public’s assistance in locating resident Mohammad Ala.

Ala, 71, went missing on Aug. 15. He was driving home from Long Beach to Laguna Beach, when he missed an exit along his route.

The vehicle he was driving was a gold 2006 Toyota Avalon (license plate: 5TKD181), which he was last seen driving on Firestone Boulevard at the 605 Freeway in Downey at 9:24 a.m. on Aug. 15, according to the Laguna Beach Police Department.

At the time of his disappearance, Ala was wearing denim pants, a gray shirt, black shoes and possibly a straw hat. Ala stands at 5 foot 8, weighs 125 pounds, has green eyes and receding white hair.

Ala’s sister, Mina, said there was no knowledge of where her brother or his car had gone. She said records did not reflect any credit card activity, either. His information did not turn up when authorities contacted the Los Angeles coroner’s office, she said.

Mina added that Ala, a former professor of productivity management at Cal State Los Angeles, is one of the pillars of the Laguna Beach community. He lives in the Top of the World neighborhood.

“If you go to Laguna Beach Nextdoor, his post is up there,” Mina said. “Two-hundred-seventy people reacted to that. He is beloved. He’s a gentle soul. … He has been there for 30 years. Everybody knows him and everybody loves him.

“During the past few days that the police department put his information on lagunabeachcity.net on Sept. 29, everybody’s knocking at our door and asking about him, so he’s very, very, very beloved here.”

Anyone with information about Ala’s whereabouts is asked to contact Det. Ryan Radel at (949) 497-0701, ext. 432, or via email at rradel@lagunabeachcity.net.