The brother of a San Francisco college student is pleading for his safe return after the 21-year-old went missing during what's described as a "very impulsive road trip" to Southern California.
For more, stream KCBS Radio now.
Jerry Liang told KCBS Radio that no one has heard from his brother, Christopher, since Monday. Christopher had rented a Tesla Model Y for the trip that started on Monday and was supposed to finish in Irvine, although his family doesn't believe he ever made it there. "Everything suggests that he's incapacitated," Liang said in an interview on Friday.
Liang's viral Instagram post about Christopher's unusual disappearance had almost 12,000 likes as of Friday afternoon.
Since Monday, Christopher has missed plans he made with friends in Irvine and later his brother in the Bay Area. Liang said his family is "extremely concerned" as his brother's phone goes straight to voicemail, his social media accounts remain inactive and the Tesla he rented cannot be located using the company's app.
Christopher also missed returning the rental vehicle, which was due back on Wednesday, and classes at University of San Francisco.
The Tesla's license plate number is 8RNC906.
The family believes Christopher made it to Patterson – located off I-5 in Stanislaus County – just before 2 p.m. on Monday and later Firebaugh – a little more than an hour south of Patterson – for a 5 p.m. remote job interview. Liang said his brother, who's a senior at USF, had been interviewing for jobs in the last several weeks and had advanced to later rounds for at least one of those positions.
"Those opportunities are important to him. Why would he (now) make himself inaccessible? He had plans," Liang said.
While there are few clues as to what's led to Christopher's sudden disappearance, Liang said nothing like this has never happened before. "This could be a sudden worsening of his mental health issues," he added, declining to elaborate on Christopher's specific illness.
"This is his first time driving since he got his license in March and he has never booked a hotel in his life," Liang wrote on Instagram. "I'm terrified and heartbroken. I've tried ALL I could with the police but to no avail."
Liang said the family is considering trying to retrace the route of Christopher's road trip in the coming days if no new developments surface.
KCBS Radio has reached out to Irvine police and San Francisco police, both of which have been engaged with Christopher's case, according to Liang. We've not yet gotten a response.
Anyone with information is asked to email Jerry at jerryliangglobal@gmail.com.
LISTEN to KCBS Radio
FAVORITE KCBS Radio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
