Donald Dietz Missing Person Case

Sep 29, 2010

Jul 18, 2019

Donald

Dietz

84

66

70 inches

155 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the late summer of 2007, the quiet life of 66-year-old Donald "Don" Leo Dietz was drawing to an unsettling close. A resident of Saranac, Michigan, Don was a man of simple habits and predictable routines. Known affectionately by locals as the "Bicycle Man," he was a familiar sight, pedaling his way through town for errands, regardless of the season. Don lived a frugal and solitary existence in a trailer nestled on a remote 20-acre property near the Ionia State Game Area. Despite having amassed a significant amount of money in his bank accounts, he lived modestly, even patching his shoes with duct tape. The last confirmed sighting of this gentle and unassuming man was on September 8, 2007, when he was seen riding his bicycle home from a Meijer store. The official date of his last contact is listed as September 10, 2007, but the days surrounding his disappearance are shrouded in vagueness. It is believed he was abducted from his secluded home, a place that should have been his sanctuary. His family noted that he was a shy and vulnerable individual, possibly autistic though never diagnosed, who generally avoided close contact with others. The circumstances leading up to Don's disappearance painted a grim picture. In the week before he vanished, he confided in his barber, expressing a palpable fear for his life. He spoke of a man who was aggressively pressuring him to invest his money, someone who wouldn't take no for an answer and had become threatening. Don revealed that he had given this person access to his bank accounts and that the man had even visited his home, leaving Don with the terrifying feeling of being followed. When his family checked his trailer after he went missing, they found nothing out of place except for some of his financial papers. Worryingly, his prescription eyeglasses, a daily necessity, had been left behind. The investigation into his disappearance soon uncovered a sinister plot to steal his identity and life savings. The investigation led authorities to two individuals, Rami Saba and his friend, Raogo Ouedraogo. It was discovered that Saba had been stealing Don's identity, cashing checks in his name and attempting to transfer nearly half a million dollars from Don's account to an account in Lebanon. A disturbing phone call was made to Don's brother on September 30, where a man with a foreign accent, pretending to be Don, spun a tale about getting a girl pregnant and having a stroke, all in an effort to get help accessing Don's money. The call ended abruptly when the imposter couldn't answer a simple security question. Both Saba and Ouedraogo were eventually charged in connection with Don's disappearance and presumed murder. Saba was convicted on multiple counts, including bank fraud and identity theft, and sentenced to a lengthy prison term. Ouedraogo's legal journey was more complex; he was initially convicted of murder, but the verdict was later overturned by a judge, though he was sentenced to five years for conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. Despite these convictions and the strong belief that he was kidnapped and murdered, Donald Dietz's body has never been found, and he was legally declared dead in 2010. The case remains a painful open wound for his family, who continue to hope for the day they can bring him home for a proper burial.

Sep 10, 2007

Saranac

Michigan

Ionia County

48881

9085

Michigan State Police

Lakeview

Michigan

Montcalm County

48850

Raymond Sowa

D/Sgt.

Lakeview Post, Michigan

9893528444

State

Law Enforcement

www.michigan.gov/msp

68-2836-07

2007-09-11

Michigan State Police

Gray or Partially Gray

Brown

Brown

07/02/2026