The distraught family of Ralph Santos, a 73-year-old Hollister
man who has been missing since June 10, is offering a $5,000 reward
in hopes it will lead to Santos’ safe return.
The distraught family of Ralph Santos, a 73-year-old Hollister man who has been missing since June 10, is offering a $5,000 reward in hopes it will lead to Santos’ safe return.
During the past four days, family members and friends have posted nearly 7,000 fliers in English and in Spanish from Monterey to San Jose in the hopes that someone has information leading to Santos whereabouts.
“We have been struggling with this ever since he disappeared,” said his daughter Lorie Santos. “I’m a nervous wreck. He has heart medication that he is supposed to take and if he goes without it, the doctor says he will be a very sick man.”
Santos, described as 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds with light gray hair, has been missing since the morning of June 10 when he failed to pick up his granddaughter from school.
“If you knew my father this is out of character for him,” Santos said.
It was first believed that Santos may have simply been lost and suffered from dementia.
“His physician said he had no reason to believe my father suffered from Alzheimer’s,” Santos said.
The family is concerned that if Santos, a pastor with the New Generations Family Church in Gilroy, left of his own free will, why didn’t he take any money or clothing.
“He left about $300 in his drawer,” Lorie Santos said.
Investigators said Santos was last seen driving a red 2002 Kia Optima, license plate number 5BBT748, in Hollister June 10 at about 11 a.m. by a neighbor.
Santos was also reportedly seen that day by another neighbor sitting in the passenger seat of his car in the company of a heavyset blonde woman who was driving his car on Ladd Lane with an unknown Hispanic man in the back seat.
The Hispanic man is described as being about 5-feet 8-inches tall, with a medium build, looking scruffy and having salt and pepper colored hair.
The unidentified man was seen earlier by neighbors as driving a beat-up, black boxy-shaped car.
Family members are planning a rally and candlelight vigil in the near future.
An account has been opened for anyone who would like to contribute a donation toward the reward fund and to help with the expenses of a private investigation.
“We have spent a lot of money on this,” his daughter said.
Donations can be made at Well Fargo Bank, account number 7076705438.
Anyone with information is asked to call the family at 630-3013 or call the HPD at 636-4330 and ask for the on-duty watch commander.
