Sean Ty Ferel, a 65-year-old resident of Palm Springs, California, was last seen on May 7, 2016. He disappeared after reportedly going on vacation with a man named Justin Todd Rey. Following his disappearance, Ferel was never heard from again. His loved ones received text messages from his phone number that they did not believe were actually written by him.
In November 2017, Justin Todd Rey, then 35 years old, was charged with the murder of Sean Ty Ferel.
The charges came after a series of disturbing discoveries in a separate case involving Rey. A month prior to the murder charge, police in Lenexa, Kansas, found Rey living in a storage unit with his two young children and the dismembered remains of his wife.
Although Ferel's body has not been located, evidence linking Rey to his disappearance and presumed death mounted. In August 2016, three months after Ferel was last seen, Rey was involved in a car accident near Los Angeles while driving Ferel's vehicle. A search of the car's trunk revealed Ferel's blood. Investigators also found Ferel's driver's license, credit cards, and phone in the vehicle. It is alleged that Rey stole Ferel's car, credit cards, and other property after killing him. Further investigation uncovered more of Ferel's belongings in a storage unit in Kingman, Arizona, that was rented to Rey. An acquaintance of Rey told investigators that Rey had bragged about stealing property from "old dead guys" and using their credit and debit cards.
Justin Todd Rey was already incarcerated in Kansas on child endangerment charges when he was charged with Ferel's murder. He was also charged in Missouri with abandonment of a corpse in connection with his wife's death. Rey has faced legal proceedings in Kansas, and authorities in Riverside County, California, have indicated that his case in Kansas would need to be resolved before he could be brought back to California to face the murder charge.Last Seen: May 7, 2016
