Louis Balas

• Missing Since 12/13/1980
• Missing From Los Angeles, California
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 06/26/1903 (120)
• Age 77 years old
• Height and Weight 5'4, 160 pounds
• Medical Conditions Louis has a heart condition and takes nitroglycerin medication for it; the medicine was left behind.
• Associated Vehicle(s) Maroon four-door 1978 Cadillac (accounted for)
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, brown eyes. Louis has a receding hairline. He wears eyeglasses.

Details of Disappearance

Louis was last seen at his home on north Gardner Avenue in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles, California on December 13, 1980. He disappeared together with his wife, Betty, sometime between 6:15 and 9:00 p.m., and neither of them have ever been heard from again.

When authorities checked the Balas residence, they found the front door open and a set of keys still in the lock, the television set turned on, and the bathtub filled with water. There were no indications of a struggle and the only items that appeared to be missing were the couple's car and the car keys.

The Balases' maroon four-door 1978 Cadillac was found the next day in a vacant lot off Crenshaw Boulevard, near the Santa Monica Freeway and seven miles from the Balas home. There were no bloodstains in or on the vehicle.

The Balases vanished the day before Louis was supposed to testify against Larry Eugene Boyce, who on October 31, 1978, had allegedly attacked him in a bank parking garage, robbed him and threatened his life. Boyce, who had previously served eight years in prison for murder, was out on bail at the time Louis and Betty disappeared. In December 1980 he was scheduled to go to trial for a total of fourteen felonies, including kidnapping and robbing Louis.

Dozens of other witnesses were also scheduled to testify against Boyce, and it hasn't been proven that Betty and Louis's disappearances were related to the upcoming trial. He was ultimately convicted of a variety of charges, including kidnapping Louis, and sentenced to life in prison plus 33 years.

Foul play is suspected in the Balases' cases. Investigators believe up to three individuals, including a woman who may have been pregnant at the time, were involved in their disappearances. The cases remain unsolved.