Federal investigators have joined the nearly yearlong search for the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency investor, whose house was mysteriously cleared out last year as $1 million was drained from his bank accounts.
Disappearance of Naiping Hou
Naiping Hou, 74, was first reported missing to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department in California on May 4, 2025, after his son, Wen Hou, became suspicious of his father's unusual behavior. Nearly one year later, the FBI shared on social media that it was working with the sheriff's department to investigate Naiping's 'suspicious disappearance' and urged anyone with information to come forward.
Wen, a prominent hedge fund and crypto investor who serves as the chief investment officer at Coincident Capital, said he last saw his father in March 2025 when they rented a boat at the San Pedro Pier and went on a family fishing trip. 'He was in a very good mood,' Wen recounted. 'He caught a lot of fish. His friends were there too. He was very happy.'
Strange Behavior and Text Messages
By April, Wen began to suspect something was wrong when he received weird text messages from his father. He explained that his father gave robotic responses in the family group chat, became more silent, and refused to see his grandchildren. Naiping was always saying 'he's tired or he'll call me later - just reasons that were strange,' Wen said, adding his father 'had very short responses and didn't share photos anymore over the course of those couple of weeks.'
The final sign that something was wrong came on Naiping's birthday on May 3, when Wen told the Los Angeles Times his father refused to answer any calls. Instead of thanking Wen for the handmade Chinese noodles sent as a gift to his father's Rancho Cucamonga home, he simply replied: 'Yes, I receive[d] it.'
Eerie Discovery at the Home
Surprised by the answer, Wen asked family friends to check on his father the following day. When they arrived at the house where Naiping and his wife had lived for roughly 20 years, they found the noodle package still sitting on the stoop. Eerily, there were also handprints all over the garage door, according to KABC. When they went inside, they found the house stripped of all furniture and a shoddy new paint job on all interior walls. Naiping's cars were also missing, and he was nowhere to be found. 'Something really strange has happened here,' Wen previously told KABC. 'There's absolutely nothing in there - completely empty. Not even trash.'
Financial Theft and Possible Kidnapping
An ensuing investigation revealed that more than $1 million was withdrawn from Naiping's account to purchase physical gold online and cryptocurrency. 'He's not an online-savvy person, so I don't know how he's able to buy gold online,' Wen said of the mysterious withdrawals. Someone was also reportedly trying to sell Naiping's vehicles and rent out his home. Meanwhile, Naiping's wife, who had been visiting family in China, received a text message from his phone telling her to cancel her flight home and saying he would join her in Asia. Detectives now believe someone had been using Naiping's cellphone to impersonate him for more than a month, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department confirmed its deputies are treating the case as a possible kidnapping.
Possible Connection to Crypto Industry
Wen has suggested that contractors who performed work on the house after a massive water leak in January 2025 may have preyed on his father or even kidnapped him. He said he now fears his father's disappearance may be tied to his own success in the crypto industry. As the investigation continues, investigators are seeking information about a silver Toyota Yaris believed to be connected to the case.
Reward and Public Appeal
Wen has created a website to bring awareness to his father's case, including photos of his father holding a fishing rod and a poster offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to his recovery. The website also includes a video in which Wen pleads for help: 'The family is heartbroken. We just want him back.' Naiping is described as five-foot-seven inches, weighing roughly 170 pounds with black and gray hair and dark-colored eyes. He has a birthmark on his upper left shoulder and a surgery scar on his lower back.
