Riverside County

Bank Accounts of Temecula Man Who Mysteriously Vanished Were Drained After Night at Pechanga

A Riverside County real estate agent mysteriously vanished after he was last seen leaving a casino Monday, and now his friends are fearing the worst.

Rich Tyrrell, 47, disappeared after visiting the Pechanga Casino. His girlfriend said he isn't answering his cellphone, and much worse: his bank accounts have been cleared out.

"He's a very outgoing guy. He's very social. Everybody is the community knows him," his girlfriend Marcy Sattelmaier of Temecula said.

Her longtime boyfriend is also her partner at Rancon Real Estate in Temecula.

"What has it been like the last three days? Brutal. Stressful. Scary. We just don't know where he is," she said.

Sattelmaier said she last saw him Sunday taking a ride-share car to meet up with friends.

She said that he wanted to have some fun and to take his mind off his brother's failing health.

"He's struggling from cancer," Sattelmaier said. "And I found out today's probably his last day."

Sattelmaier said around 2:30 a.m. Monday, she spoke to Tyrrell, and he told her that he had won some money at Pechanga Resort and Casino. He also said he would be coming home soon.

But he never did.

Sattelmaier said she talked to a bartender at the casino who claims to have seen the Tyrrell with another unidentified man.

"The guy was kind of fishy and buying him a bunch of drinks and he didn't know this guy," she said. "And why was this guy buying him a bunch of drinks?"

Sattelmaier said it's unclear exactly what happened next, but she says Temecula police detectives told her a ride-share driver dropped him off somewhere in Los Angeles County.

Investigators have not confirmed this information to NBCLA. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department confirmed Tyrrell is missing, but would not indicate whether they believe he is the victim of foul play. 

Sattelmaier said his phone pinged at 8:20 a.m. Monday morning, but now the phone is dead.

His girlfriend is worried that he may be the victim of a robbery, or worse.

"All of his bank accounts have been cleared out, like all his money is gone? They've all been overdrawn," she said.

NBCLA is awaiting more details from investigators.

Anyone with information is asking to call Temecula police.

Pechanga released the following statement on its Facebook page Wednesday:

"To our community members and guests who have been following this story, we wanted to take a moment to send our well-wishes for a positive outcome in this search. We completely understand the anxiety and concerns while not being able to reach a loved one.

"Please know that the safety of our guests is always the top priority to us. Although we were not contacted by law enforcement about a formal investigation or assistance with this case, we did proactively reach out to local law enforcement yesterday to offer our support and provide information. Initial news reports have indicated that a ride share driver dropped him off somewhere in Los Angeles County. We encourage anyone with questions or additional information to follow up with local law enforcement."

Anyone with information on Tyrrell's disappearance are asked to call investigators at the Southwest Sheriff's Station at 951-696-3000.

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