IE Leaders Of Religious Group Arrested Amid Disapearance Of Ex-Member

HEMET, CA — A husband and wife who lead a cult-like religious group in the Inland Empire were arrested this week as detectives continue to search for an ex-member who went missing years ago, police said.

Emilio Salem Ghanem is the second member who has been reported missing in recent years.

Shelly Bailey “Kat” Martin, 62, and Darryl Muzic Martin, 57, were taken into custody on Aug 14 in Laguna Hills. Kat was later released, however, after experiencing a “medical episode,” the Redlands Police Department announced Wednesday.

READ MORE: Hemet Religious Group Investigated After 2 Members Mysteriously Disappear

The pair, who call themselves the Profitess and Head Pastor of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, were arrested on illegal weapons charges after police served a search warrant at the Laguna Hills Lodge.

This month, police also served search warrants at homes in Hemet and Anza. During those searches, Hemet residents Rudy Franco Moreno, 43, and Kelvin Lee Mackey, 58, were arrested on charges related to being felons in possession of firearms, police said.

Detectives recovered several illegal firearms during those searches, including those fully converted automatic rifles, short-barreled rifles and unserialized "ghost guns" along with electronic devices and other digital evidence, police said.

Police said Wednesday that they have made "a number" of arrests in their investigation into the disappearance of Ghanem, a Nashville man who was last seen at a Starbucks in Redlands more than two years ago after he reportedly left the group.

A rented Nissan Frontier pickup that Ghanem was driving was spotted on surveillance video on the day he went missing in the nearby city of Grand Terrace, police said. This year, the truck and evidence were later recovered, but there was no sign of Ghanem, who was 40 at the time.

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.

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.

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 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.