Richard Harley West, an 81-year-old man from Santa Clara County, California, was last seen on February 18, 2007. At the time of his disappearance, West, a Caucasian male with gray hair and brown eyes, stood at 5'10" and weighed approximately 200 pounds. He was known to wear eyeglasses and had diabetes. A notable piece of jewelry he wore was a class of 1949 Naval Academy ring.
West was driving a green 2006 Dodge Stratus with an Arizona license plate number 5PKK659.
Conflicting reports initially placed his last known location in both Santa Clara County and Merced, California. It was reported that he had been involved in a non-injury collision in Merced and had subsequently rented the Dodge Stratus from Enterprise Rent-A-Car. After this, he was not seen or heard from again. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office was the investigating agency for his case.
For years, the case remained cold with few available details. In a procedural move, West's family filed a Court Order for a Delayed Registration of Death on May 7, 2012, though he had not been located.
A significant development in the case occurred in August 2023, when a vehicle was recovered from a levee along 8 Mile Road and Empire Tract Road in San Joaquin County. Authorities were able to identify the vehicle as being registered to a person reported missing from Santa Clara County. In November 2023, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office confirmed that human remains found inside the submerged vehicle were those of Richard Harley West.Last Seen: Feb 18, 2007
