Overview

• Full name: Robert Glen Rietzel
• Age when missing: 29
• Date of birth: September 7, 1985
• Last confirmed family contact: September 26, 2014
• Associated locations: Antioch, Oakland, and Discovery Bay, California
• Counties: Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California
• Classification: Missing person
• Investigating agency: Oakland Police Department
• Publicly documented status: Unresolved; listed as missing by the California Department of Justice

According to the circumstances recorded in a missing-person listing attributed to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, Robert last contacted his family by telephone on September 26, 2014. He was expected to visit a family member in Discovery Bay the following day but did not arrive. His whereabouts after that final contact have not been publicly established.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Case Summary

Robert Glen Rietzel was 29 years old when he disappeared from contact with his family in September 2014. His case is associated with several communities in California’s East Bay, including Antioch, Oakland, and Discovery Bay. More than a decade later, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain unresolved in publicly available missing-person records.

• Full name: Robert Glen Rietzel
• Age when missing: 29
• Date of birth: September 7, 1985
• Last confirmed family contact: September 26, 2014
• Associated locations: Antioch, Oakland, and Discovery Bay, California
• Counties: Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California
• Classification: Missing person
• Investigating agency: Oakland Police Department
• Publicly documented status: Unresolved; listed as missing by the California Department of Justice

According to the circumstances recorded in a missing-person listing attributed to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, Robert last contacted his family by telephone on September 26, 2014. He was expected to visit a family member in Discovery Bay the following day but did not arrive. His whereabouts after that final contact have not been publicly established.

Background and Circumstances of the Disappearance

Robert Glen Rietzel was born on September 7, 1985. California’s official missing-person record describes him as a white male with brown hair and hazel eyes, standing approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing about 170 pounds at the time of his disappearance.

Publicly verified information about Robert’s childhood, education, occupation, and personal life is limited. Although his disappearance has been discussed by members of online missing-person communities, those discussions do not establish a reliable account of his personal circumstances before September 2014.

The Last Known Family Contact

September 26, 2014, is the central date in Robert’s disappearance. His missing-person information identifies that day as his last contact with family, reportedly through a telephone conversation.

Robert was expected to visit a family member at a residence in Discovery Bay, a community in Contra Costa County, on September 27, 2014. He never arrived. The available account does not establish whether he began the trip, what transportation he intended to use, or where he was physically located during his final telephone contact.

His missing-person circumstances also indicate that he was believed to have been staying somewhere in Oakland, although his address of record was in Antioch. The exact Oakland address was not identified in the publicly reproduced account.

This distinction matters because an address of record is not necessarily the place where someone was last physically seen. The available information does not conclusively establish Robert’s last verified physical location.

The Missing-Person Report

The missing-person circumstances state that Robert was reported missing on October 20, 2014, after his family had been unable to reach him. That date was approximately three weeks after his last documented family contact.

The available public records do not explain the interval between the final telephone conversation and the reported missing-person notification. It would therefore be inappropriate to assume why the report was made when it was or what efforts relatives may have undertaken during that period.

Investigation History and Available Evidence

The Oakland Police Department is identified by the California Department of Justice as the reporting agency for Robert’s missing-person case. The state lists police case number 15-9214.

Robert is also associated with NamUs missing-person record 122933, as identified in a public case-information reproduction that names NamUs as its source. The NamUs identifier and Oakland Police Department case number are separate references.

Vehicle Information in the State Record

One potentially useful detail in the California Department of Justice listing is a vehicle associated with Robert’s case: a multicolored 1994 Chrysler LHS bearing California license plate 3HJT504.

The state record also lists the vehicle identification number as 2C3ED56F1RH266532. However, it does not publicly establish that Robert was driving this vehicle when he disappeared, that the vehicle itself went missing, or that it contained evidence connected to his disappearance.

The vehicle information may help identify an automobile associated with the case, but its investigative significance cannot be determined from the publicly available listing alone.

Searches, Witnesses, and Forensic Evidence

The reviewed public sources do not provide a sufficiently documented account of searches, surveillance footage, witness interviews, recovered property, or forensic examinations conducted in Robert’s case.

There is likewise no publicly verified information in those sources establishing that investigators recovered human remains connected to Robert, identified a suspect, or obtained DNA evidence resolving his disappearance.

These gaps in public reporting should not be interpreted as proof that investigators conducted no such inquiries. Missing-person investigations may contain confidential evidence and investigative activity that law enforcement has not released.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

Robert’s disappearance raises several unanswered questions, particularly about his movements in the final days of September 2014. The publicly available information is not sufficient to establish whether he left voluntarily, experienced an accident or medical emergency, encountered another person, or became the victim of a crime.

These possibilities are general categories of explanation, not verified investigative theories or findings in Robert’s case. No publicly confirmed evidence reviewed for this article establishes one explanation over another.

Where Was Robert on September 26?

The precise location of Robert’s final documented telephone contact remains a significant unanswered question. Although his records refer to Antioch and a possible temporary location in Oakland, neither detail establishes exactly where he was when he last spoke with his family.

What Happened to the Planned Visit?

Robert’s failure to arrive in Discovery Bay on September 27 is an important part of the reported circumstances. Public sources do not establish whether he made travel arrangements, departed for the visit, or encountered an interruption along the way.

Could Information About His Vehicle Help?

The Chrysler LHS listed by California authorities provides a specific vehicle description and license plate that someone might recognize. However, without an official account of its last known location or its role in the investigation, no conclusions can be drawn about its connection to Robert’s final movements.

Any information about Robert’s whereabouts, contacts, or activities around September 26 and 27, 2014, would be more appropriately evaluated by investigators than circulated as speculation online.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

As of the October 2026 research review for this article, Robert Glen Rietzel continues to appear in the California Department of Justice missing-person database, which identifies the Oakland Police Department as the reporting agency.

No publicly confirmed recent investigative breakthrough was located in the reviewed sources. Specifically, no verified announcement of an arrest, criminal charge, identification of remains, resolution through DNA testing, or formal reclassification as a homicide was found.

Robert’s case has continued to receive attention in online missing-person discussions, including a Websleuths thread created in August 2024 and subsequent community activity. Such discussions demonstrate continuing public interest but do not, by themselves, establish new evidence or an official investigative development.

The continued availability of a missing-person record should not be mistaken for a newly issued investigative announcement. Likewise, the absence of a recent public update does not establish that the investigation has been formally closed.