Volunteers joined search crews on Wednesday in the hunt for a Los Angeles executive who went missing during a business trip in Palm Desert.
Omar Arce Meza, 33, a vice president with AIG Financial Distributors, was last seen at the Desert Springs Marriott in Palm Desert around 11 p.m. Jan. 8, officials said.
"I have my own child, and if it was my child I would want local people looking," one volunteer said.
Meza was traveling for work when he failed to show up for scheduled business meetings the following day.
"We're just in shock right now," friend Eddie Petil said. "This is just very unlike him."
He and his wife spoke on the phone as he was leaving a dinner with colleagues and said he would call her when he got to his hotel.
He was staying at the Courtyard by Marriott, but security cameras captured him walking out of the Marriott Desert Springs Resort instead. His jacket and wallet were found on the resort's golf course.
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"One of his co-workers put him in an Uber cab. The intention was to send him to his hotel. I think there was probably some confusion on which Marriott to go to," wife Diane Meza said earlier this week. "He was absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me. He made everything better."
Divers searched golf course ponds Monday after bloodhounds pointed in the direction of water traps on the golf course. He was still missing as of Thursday morning, when authorities announced they complete the search of the resort property.
"We're not releasing anything about the investigation," Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy Armando Munoz said. "We're not saying it is foul play and we're not saying it's not foul play. We're considering all angles."
Meza was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 160 pounds. He was wearing a gray pants and a white shirt when he was last seen.
Anyone with information or who may have seen Meza is asked to call the Palm Desert Sheriff’s station at 760-836-1600.
A representative with AIG declined an interview with NBC4 but said the company is working with authorities and their thoughts are with family and friends.
