Former Harlem Globetrotter disappears on road trip to Seattle
Family members are asking for the public's help Monday in locating Rico Omarr Harris, a former member of the Harlem Globetrotters from Alhambra, who disappeared while driving to Seattle, authorities said.
The 37-year-old left his mother's Alhambra home around 1 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 10, according to a news release from the Yolo County Sheriff's Office. His car was located three days later at a Yolo County park, the release stated.
Harris' mother, Margaret Fernandez, told KTLA that she last spoke to her son around 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 10, at which time he told her he was driving through the Sacramento area and might stop for something to eat and take a nap.
"Right now, I can't even tell you what I'm feeling ... because I never thought this could happen to me," Fernandez said.
A deputy first spotted Harris' black Nissan sedan on Oct. 13 about 60 miles northwest of Sacramento at the Yolo County Regional Parks Lower Site on State Route 16, the release stated. There was no sign of Harris at the time.
When the car was still there the next day, authorities checked the registration, which identified Harris as the owner.
A ground and aerial search of the area where the car was located had not turned up any sign of Harris, authorities said.
Investigators told the family that Harris' car battery was dead, according to Fernandez.
A backpack with jumper cables and Harris' cell phone were also located not far from the car, according to his mother.
"I miss my son," Fernandez said. "I'm very, very sad."
Harris was in the process of moving to Seattle to be with his longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Song, and start a new job.
"He's a very loving ... charismatic, gentle giant," Song said.
Harris is 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighs approximately 300 pounds.
Anyone who may have seen him was asked to call 530-668-5280.
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