Hemet Religious Group Investigated After 2 Members Mysteriously Disappear

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — Police in different Southern California cities are following new leads in their continuing search for two men who vanished after becoming affiliated with a Riverside County-based religious group.

Patch previously reported on the strange disappearances of Emilio Salem Ghanem in 2023 and Ruben Moreno in 2019. Now, police are honing in on His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, a religious organization in Hemet that both men were once tied to.

On Aug. 7, the Redlands Police Department announced it had served a search warrant on a residence in the 26000 block of Pleasant Street in Hemet. The search was carried out Aug. 6 at the home allegedly used by His Way Spirit Led Assemblies.

Police recovered evidence in connection with the investigation, and four people were detained but later released; two people were arrested on unrelated charges, Redlands police said.

Meanwhile, the Claremont Police Department is also interested in the investigation into His Way Spirit Led Assemblies.

Ruben Moreno, who was 43 years old when he vanished in August 2019, was affiliated with the religious group at the time of his disappearance, according to Claremont police. Earlier this month, the law enforcement agency again released a missing person flyer for Moreno.

Moreno had a last known address in Perris, but he was last seen in December 2017 at a residence in the 3900 block of Swarthmore Court in Claremont, where members of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies previously gathered, according to Claremont police.

Moreno was reported missing by a family member in August 2019.

The search for Moreno was of interest to the Redlands Police Department because the latter agency was leading an investigation into the disappearance more than two years ago of Tennessee resident Emilio Salem Ghanem.

On Aug. 1, the department said it was following "new leads" in Ghanem's disappearance.

"Redlands detectives recently learned that another member of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies [Moreno] was reported missing in 2019 and has not been seen since," Redlands police announced.

Ghanem was reported missing shortly after he visited a Starbucks restaurant on Redlands Boulevard in Redlands on May 25, 2023.

A rented Nissan Frontier pickup that Ghanem was driving was spotted on surveillance video later that day in the nearby city of Grand Terrace, police said.

The truck and evidence were later recovered, but there was no sign of Ghanem, who was 40 at the time.

Like Moreno, Ghanem was a member of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, but the latter left the group shortly before his disappearance, Redlands police said.

Ghanem also worked for Fullshield, Inc., a pest control business owned and operated by His Way Spirit Led Assemblies. The company now operates under the name “Maxguard," according to Redlands police.

Moreno is described as Hispanic, with brown eyes and black hair, 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and weighing 180 pounds. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Claremont Police Department at 909-399-5411.

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