Police search second home in 2023 Redlands missing person case

Detectives investigating the 2023 disappearance of a Nashville man last seen at a Redlands coffee shop served a search warrant Tuesday at a second Southern California home connected to a religious group the man had left shortly before vanishing, authorities said in a press release Aug 12.

Redlands police, assisted by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, searched a residence in the 57000 block of Forestry Road in Anza around 5 a.m. Aug. 12.

Eight people at the home were detained and later released. No arrests were made.

The search is part of the investigation into the disappearance of 40-year-old Emilio Salem Ghanem, who was reported missing May 25, 2023, shortly after visiting the Starbucks at 625 E. Redlands Blvd. Surveillance video later showed a rented Nissan Frontier pickup he was driving in Grand Terrace. Detectives later recovered the truck and other evidence.

Ghanem was previously a member of “His Way Spirit Led Assemblies,” a religious organization based in Hemet, and worked for Fullshield, Inc., a pest control business operated by the group. The company now does business as Maxguard. Police say the Anza home and another Hemet residence searched last week are both connected to the group, and evidence was recovered from both locations.

Redlands detectives are also working with Claremont police, who are investigating the 2019 disappearance of another man associated with the same group.

Ghanem is described as white, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 130 pounds, with hazel eyes and black hair. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Redlands Police Detective Bureau at 909-551-4424 or email missingperson_emilio@redlandspolice.org.