After Nancy Guthrie, FBI Probes Another Elderly Disappearance as Crypto Millionaire’s Father Vanishes in California

After Nancy Guthrie, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is probing another high-profile disappearance case involving an elderly person. Naiping Hou, the 74-year-old father of hedge fund and cryptocurrency investor Wen Hou, has been missing from his Southern California home for over a year.

Hou was reported missing by his family on May 4, 2025. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department then began investigating the case, but authorities were unable to locate him. On April 22, 2026, the FBI announced that its Los Angeles Field Office had joined the investigation.

According to Wen Hou, he last saw his father in March 2025 during a fishing trip in San Pedro. “He was in a very good mood. He caught a lot of fish. His friends were there, too. He was very happy,” he said in an interview with KTLA.

However, the family soon noticed Naiping Hou's changed behavior. He refused to answer their calls and sent vague replies to their text messages. On one occasion, he told his wife, who was in China, to extend her trip and not return home.

“[He always said] he’s tired or he’ll call me later, just reasons that were strange. He had very short responses and didn’t share photos anymore over the course of those couple of weeks,” Wen said.

On May 3, 2025, his birthday, he refused to meet his grandchildren in Las Vegas and again did not answer calls. When Wen sent him handmade Chinese noodles as a birthday gift and texted him about it, he replied, “Yes I receive it.”

The family then grew suspicious and asked Naiping’s friends to check up on him. When the friends entered his home, they found it had been renovated. The paint on the walls had been replaced, and all of Naiping’s personal belongings had been removed. His cars were also gone.

The family then realized that something unfortunate had happened with Naiping and reported him missing. They noticed that his bank account had been drained of $1 million to buy physical gold online. Wen said his father is not tech-savvy, so the transactions did not make sense.

Investigators believe that Naiping was kidnapped from his home. The kidnapper then allegedly impersonated him and continued to send texts to his family for weeks. Wen believes his success as a crypto investor may have prompted the abductor to target his father.

The alleged impersonator later sold Naiping’s cars and attempted to rent out his home. The investigation into the disappearance is ongoing, and detectives are seeking the public’s help in locating Naiping. He is described as a 5'7" tall, Chinese man, weighing 170 lbs. He has black eyes and black-and-gray hair.

The family is offering a $250,000 reward to anyone who provides information about Naiping. They have also created a website where the public can send tips about the missing man’s possible whereabouts.