Future NBA Star Vanishes from Mountain Road: Where is Rico Harris? 29:50

Hello everyone and welcome back. So happy to have you join me today to discuss another case and if you are new then welcome. Be sure to subscribe. So today we are going to be discussing a case that is so frustrating. It is one of those that leaves you with way more questions than answers and it

just very mysterious how this all played out. We are going to be talking about the unsolved disappearance of Rico Harris, who is still missing to this day. There is a lot to go over here, so I am just going to go ahead and jump in. So on May 19th, 1977, Margaret Fernandez gave birth to

to her first child, a boy named Rico Harris. He was born in Alhambra, California, which is a city located just outside of Los Angeles. And his parents, Margaret and Henry Harris, also went on to have three more children. And shortly afterwards, they moved their family to Oregon, where Henry was offered a job. But sadly, Rico's father, Henry, was very physically and verbally, emotionally abusive to their whole family. And he...

really was not very involved in the kids' lives. He was kind of in and out throughout the years. So that all became too much to handle. And so Margaret moved herself and the kids back to Southern California and just began raising them on her own. And this was no easy task for her. She was a single mom raising a family of five and she was working full-time as a caretaker for the elderly, which can be a very difficult job, you know, on its own. And then to be a full-time mother, single parent,

You know, it's not easy. And so as the oldest son, Rico, who was very, very close with his mother, really felt responsible for helping his mom. And he would always promise her that one day he would make it big in the NBA and he would be able to provide for his whole family. Now, even though his father was in and out of his life and not very involved, he did pick up on some of the dreams that his father had.

At one point in his life, Henry, his father played semi-pro basketball and that really inspired Rico to pursue a career in basketball. And he loved this sport, but unlike his father, Rico wanted to take it all the way. Like I said, he wanted to be in the

NBA, which is clearly not easy. But playing basketball really was Rico's entire identity when he was growing up. It was a huge part of his life. By age 11, he was playing pickup games at Granada Park in his neighborhood with people that were twice his age. So he was definitely dedicated to the sport and talented. And Rico, for the most part, when he was growing up, always stayed on the right path.

Like he didn't get into drugs and alcohol. He didn't fall to peer pressure. He would actually tell other people around him, like, don't get involved in that stuff. Or he'd be disappointed in friends who were experimenting with drugs and alcohol. People said that he kept it clean and he was focused on his future. He was a big star of the Temple City High basketball team, and he wanted to make sure that nothing would stand in his way of going pro.

And being 6'8 and averaging 28 points and 15 rebounds per game definitely didn't hurt his chances. The Long Beach Press-Telegram even named him as one of the best high school players in the Western region. He was definitely a big guy, but people around him always described him as a gentle giant, that he had a very kind soul, kind of like a big teddy bear type of dude.

So when it came time for college, several colleges, including UCLA and the University of Rhode Island, were interested in recruiting him to play for their teams. But Rico, unfortunately, didn't have the best grades or test scores. And because of that, unfortunately, any offers from these universities were withdrawn.

So instead, Rico ended up at Arizona State University and it was a big change for him. It was more than 375 miles away from his family. Being such a family oriented guy, it was really a huge adjustment for Rico. And unfortunately, he did not do well in his first year of college. And I think this largely had to do with the fact that he was so far away from home. He was so close with his family. You know, it was a huge life change for him and he just didn't adapt well. He didn't do well.

socially or academically. But the final straw for Rico came in 1996 when he and two of his teammates at Arizona State were arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment. Two female students claim that Rico and the others held them against their will and made them perform sexual acts. Now, there isn't a lot of information out about this. I don't know if it's true. However, the charges were dropped

because there were discrepancies in the two girls' stories. So again, I don't know if this actually happened, but the charges were dropped. And as a result, Rico was suspended from playing basketball for a year. And instead of just waiting this time out, he decided to transfer to a different school. And he went back to Southern California and enrolled in Los Angeles City College, which is a two-year junior college. And he hoped that he could improve his grades during this time and eventually be accepted to play in Rhode Island.

And at first, his experience at Los Angeles City College was really good. And he was really doing well on their basketball team. He was the obvious star of the team from his first season playing with them. And at 6'9", he was absolutely dominating a lot of the other players and just doing really well. Like he totally could have been successful if he was able to stay on the right track.

People who weren't even that into basketball and certainly weren't big fans of this college were coming to watch Rico play. Like tons of people would end up watching these games. And his old teammate actually compared him to Lamar Odom. He said he was Lamar Odom before Lamar Odom.

I mean, there was no doubt that he was the best player on their team. He averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds per game. And that same year Rico was responsible for bringing the team its first ever championship title. And because of all this hard work and dedication, plus, you know, just natural talent, Rico's dream of going to the NBA could actually have been in reach. There were several scouts showing up to his games and in a few years he was expected to go pro. But unfortunately,

that all changed his second year of college and his second year playing on the team. Like I said, Rico was always very straight laced when it came to drugs and alcohol, partying when he was growing up and up until this point because he was so focused on basketball and he would tell others around him, you know, I don't do that stuff because I'm

like on a mission here. I want to be in the NBA. But for whatever reason, I mean, reasons we may never understand, Rico started to party that year. Obviously, as a regular college student, it's not that unusual, but it was out of character for Rico. And his drinking quickly got...

really out of hand to the point where he would wake up in the morning and feel the need to drink a whole beer to help his hangover. And very shortly into all of this, his performance in basketball just started to decline. I mean, scouts would show up to watch him and be completely shocked from what they had heard. He was this incredible player and it did not match up with what they were seeing on the

He was missing shots that he would normally make. He was just kind of out of it. And he didn't seem like his normal self in social situations either. In 1998, Rico did declare himself in the NBA draft. However, he actually withdrew himself because he said he did not feel ready for the challenge on a personal level.

He did, however, want to continue playing basketball. So he ended up reaching out to Cal State Northridge in hopes that he could continue playing. Rico and I played together back in college at Cal State Northridge during my sophomore year. Rico was a basketball star on all levels, high school, college, and was expected to be one of the next NBA stars. I remember Rico came at the beginning of my sophomore year.

For me, it represented a new challenge because he was coming in and he was really highly touted, brought a lot of hype, which was great. But for me, you know, he's on my position. And so it felt like it was a challenge for me because he was he was really good. I mean, he could shoot the ball like crazy. He was an awesome one on one player in the post.

So for me, it represented an awesome challenge heading into that year. But again, his drinking got in the way one too many times and he was suspended from several games. Rico did attempt to go pro one more time in 1999. He declared himself again in the NBA draft and was super disappointed when no teams wanted him. He didn't give up on basketball entirely though. In 2000, he ended up joining the Harlem Globetrotters.

And this obviously wasn't what he originally intended for his career, but it was a way to make money while playing the sport he loved. And at first, he was really loving it. He was having a great time. But unfortunately, his time on the Harlem Globetrotters was cut very short because he got a very bad head injury that actually ended his entire basketball career.

career and he got the injury by breaking up someone else's fight, which totally sucks. I'm sure anyone out there who has had a major pivot or an unexpected pivot in their life can understand what Rico was going through at this point, but not being able to play basketball anymore was an identity crisis for him. I mean, basketball was his life. He felt like he was destined to have a career in basketball and he never really saw his life going any other way.

He even had a tattoo that said Ballin for Life, and at this point, he had no future in basketball, and he had to rethink his whole life. And as you probably guessed, that's when the drinking and drugs got really bad. Rico began using Speed and then Crystal Meth, and then for the next five to six years, he was in a really bad

really dark place between 2001 and 2007, he accumulated 16 different charges with the LA County superior court, including public intoxication, burglary, trespassing, and more. And it wasn't really until Rico was arrested for public intoxication one time, and he was put in the same jail cell.

that his father was once in and that kind of just hit him that he needed to make a change. I mean, if there was one thing Rico knew for certain, he did not want to be his father. And I think being in that cell was just too real of a moment. You know, the time that he was in jail was pretty brief and he,

you know, was nearing bottom, but didn't fully hit rock bottom until he survived a severe overdose. And that's when he really realized he had a serious problem on his hands. From that point on, he knew he needed to get help. So he went to the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center to seek treatment. And once Rico got sober, his life really started to improve. He got a job working private security, which was very fitting for him considering his size. And now that he was maintaining his sobriety,

sobriety and had a steady job, Rico realized he wanted more for his life. He wanted a job that was based more around his intelligence and not just his size. So he eventually found a job working for an event management company, and he really enjoyed doing that, but he still did the security job on the side to make a little extra money. And during one of those extra shifts working security, Rico ended up meeting a woman named Jennifer Song. It was 2012, and Jennifer was working as an insurance broker.

and just so happened to be in LA for the weekend. She attended one of the events where Rico was working security and they hit it off right away. Now she lived in Seattle, so a bit of a distance, but that did not stop them from wanting to pursue a relationship. So for the next two years, they did the long distance thing between Seattle and Alhambra. And eventually the two of them got engaged. In September of 2014, they decided to start dating.

planning a wedding. And they also decided they were done with the long distance thing. I mean, that can be super, super hard. And because Jennifer was, you know, more secure in her career and her life that she had built in Seattle, it made the most sense for Rico to leave California and move up North to be with her. Now on the outside, it may look like

Rico should be really happy during this time in his life. I mean, things had turned around drastically, but he was still deeply struggling. Rico, as I mentioned, has always grown up with the idea that he would be the provider one day for his future family. And moving in with his fiance, who was more established in her career, you know, was tough for him. And he wasn't as happy as you might think. I really believe this had a lot more to do with Rico reflecting on his own life and feeling like he felt

failed much more than being threatened by his partner or thinking the man should be the breadwinner or whatever. I think it was just kind of a dream he had and he knew he had fallen short. And all these feelings really came up once he actually moved in. Jennifer said he didn't unpack his bags for the first two weeks and he just said it didn't feel like home. He was acting different than she was used to. And so she decided to confront him about all of this. And that's when Rico told her he had actually relapsed.

back in July. He even confided in a close friend telling him that he, you know, began drinking again, but he really wanted to get it under control before it got any worse. So around this time, things started to look up in October of that year. He ended up getting a opportunity to work in real estate and he was really excited about that. So he was scheduled to have his first meeting about this position on October 10th, 2020.

And he was really excited about that. So the first week of October, his mood was really improving. He finally began to unpack his suitcases and really move in.

And on October 8th, he was in a great mood and he asked Jennifer if she wanted to go out and explore Seattle with him. He was finally ready to really see the place that he'd moved to and make it feel like home. But unfortunately, this conversation didn't go the way he wanted because Jennifer told him that she would prefer he go alone and check out the city while she stayed home and got some things done and went to the gym. There was something about this small disagreement that

that really sent Rico over the edge. He immediately started packing up his things and then made the 18 hour drive back home to Alhambra. And he didn't even tell Jennifer that he was leaving. He just left. She gets home from the gym and thinks that he's still out in Seattle, but meanwhile, he's already on his way home. So she starts texting him and he doesn't reply. So she's texting him more and more. And then finally he responds and lets her know that he is making the trip back

home because he forgot a few things, but he did tell her that he was going to come back. He promised her that he would be home by October 10th at 7:00 PM. So he could make it to that meeting for his new position. So Thursday, October 9th, Rico makes it back to his mom's house after driving 18 hours through the night. And when he arrives, his mom suspects that he had been drinking.

And then she speaks to him and confirms this and realizes that he had relapsed months earlier. So while he's at home, Rico packs up some of the things that he had claimed he forgot. And he spent some time with his younger brothers as well. Now it's weird because the items that he had gone back for, his family said really didn't warrant an answer.

18 hour drive like they weren't necessities so his mom kind of confronts him about this and is curious about why he made this long drive home seemingly for nothing really and she kind of comes to the conclusion that he just really missed his family and I don't doubt that I'm sure he did but I think that

there was more and it's believed by investigators as well that there was more to him making this drive home that he was possibly seeking out drugs so that day Rico kept up communication with Jennifer he's letting her know that he is going to make it home by 7 p.m. on the 10th

and she can tell that he is really tired. By this point, Rico had been awake for more than 40 hours, which is dangerous on its own, but then to start an 18-hour drive home, that's incredibly worrisome. Jennifer tried to convince him that maybe he should get some sleep before he starts making the drive back to Seattle, but he was adamant in turning around and driving right back. His

His mom also tried to tell him that he should rest, but Rico didn't listen. He told her that he had things to do in Seattle, so he had to be back. So Rico left Alhambra around 1 a.m. in his black Nissan Maxima. And this drive home is more than 1,100 miles, but all he had to do was get on Interstate 5, which would take him almost the entire way back.

So Rico's phone record showed that he spoke to his mother and to Jennifer several times during the initial couple hours of his trip. He actually spoke to Jennifer for three hours. And I imagine this was kind of helping him stay alert as he was driving, but she was encouraging him to try and get some sleep. She tried to convince him to pull over at a rest stop and just sleep for a few hours. And to her surprise, he actually agreed. He said he was planning to stop somewhere, but he wanted to stop up in the mountains and take a nap.

He told her that he wanted to look at the stars. But what's weird about this is the mountains that he's talking about are several miles, like dozens of miles from the interstate. It would make his whole trip a lot longer if he decides to go these mountains. And so Jennifer told him that he probably shouldn't. Plus, she tried to tell him that there wouldn't be any service in the mountains. It just didn't make sense. You're better off pulling off at a rest stop and getting some sleep there.

And from what I understand, he agreed. He tells Jennifer that he is going to go stop at a rest stop and take a nap. But this is not what he ended up doing. Records show that Rico stopped in Sacramento around 8 a.m. for gas. And then he had a 15 minute phone conversation with Jennifer. Then around 930 a.m., he spoke again with his mother, where he told her that he was still driving through Sacramento. And an hour and 15 minutes later, he had his last conversation with Jennifer, which

where he said, "I'm sorry I missed your call. Doing well, thinking about you." And then after 10:45 AM, no one could get ahold of Rico. And even though Jennifer was worried, she tried not to panic because she thought maybe he was sleeping or he was somewhere where he didn't have service. So she tried to just remain calm.

But when Seven came and Rico was not home, she began to get really concerned. Rico would not have missed that meeting. And the fact he didn't call or text to say he'd be late was what alerted her that something had to be wrong. So first, Jennifer decides to call Margaret and see if maybe she had heard from her son. Maybe he told her that he was going to a specific rest stop or she just knew where he was, something like that.

but she had not heard from him either. Although Margaret was not as worried about Rico as Jennifer was at first. She said that he was the type to kind of wander off for a few days to get some peace of mind. Maybe he had a lot that he was working through and, you know, she thought maybe he just needed some space. But Jennifer...

felt really weird about everything. She just knew that he wouldn't blow off this meeting. He was really excited about this new position and obviously blowing off your first meeting isn't a good way to start. Ultimately, she just had to wait and hope that he would return. However, Rico did not return and it wasn't until October 14th

that anyone would become aware of his disappearance. On the day before, October 13th, a sheriff's deputy in Yolo County, California was doing a routine check at the lower site in the Cache Creek Regional Park. Cache Creek is located about an hour northwest of Sacramento and 50 miles west of Interstate 5.

which was the road that Rico was taking to Seattle. And people often stop and park at this lower site to enjoy the views, but it's not a place for hiking. And while visiting the lower site on the 13th, the deputy noticed a black Nissan Maxima parked on the side near some bushes. And he didn't think much of it until the next day, the 14th, when it was still sitting there. And a reminder, Rico wasn't reported missing until the 14th.

And what was particularly strange about the car is that it wasn't parked in a designated parking spot. It was kind of like off-road.

off to the side in a spot that was not meant for parking. And there was nobody in or around the vehicle, so the deputy ran the plates and that let him know that the vehicle belonged to 37-year-old Rico Harris. The vehicle registration also showed that the owner lived in Alhambra and provided an address. So in order to get in contact with the vehicle's owner, the deputy alerted Alhambra police so that they could go to the address and figure out why Rico's car was abandoned in Yolo County.

And this is when Rico's mother realized that something had to be really wrong here. The police go to her house, Margaret answers the door and they tell her what they had found. And that's when she lets them know that no one had heard from Rico in three days. And because of this, a missing persons report was officially filed and Jennifer was made aware of his possible disappearance.

So they were already running behind here, but now that the investigation was started, they didn't waste any more time. And the most glaringly obvious question that everyone had right away is why was Rico parked 50 miles away from the interstate that he was taking back to Seattle in Cache Creek?

I mean, we do know that he mentioned to Jennifer that he wanted to go to the mountains, see the stars, maybe take a rest. But this seemed weird. I mean, 50 miles off the interstate doesn't really make a lot of sense. Plus, his car was not in very good condition. It was out of gas. The battery was dead. And there were CDs and paper all over the car. It looked like it had been ransacked. However, his wife...

wallet and his ID were still in the car and it didn't look like anyone had broken into the vehicle. So initially the theory was maybe Rico's car had broken down and he had walked to highway 16 to hitch a ride into town. The closest town was 30 miles away from the lower site so it's believed he wouldn't have tried to

And Rico's cell phone was not found in the car. So investigators reached out to his cell phone provider in order to track down his location and see where it pinged in the last few days. And when the results came back, everyone is even more confused than they were before.

Rico's phone pinged in Redwood Valley, which is located more than 70 miles away from where they found his car. The lead detective, Dean Nyland, attempted to get in contact with people that live in this area, hoping that someone had seen him. And at first, no one had.

So next they sent his car in for processing and they brought in search and rescue teams to comb over a 27 mile radius in the Cache Creek Regional Park. And this is pretty treacherous terrain. So they also brought in a team of search dogs and a highway patrol airplane with a heat seeking camera. They also used a mass communication system and sent out a text to more than 4,000 people in the area, hoping that someone would come forward with information.

And considering that Rico is 6'9 and 300 pounds, they thought that maybe someone would have seen him. And then finally, four days after the search started, investigators did find large shoe prints matching the size 18 shoe that Rico wore on the sand down by the river. And not only that, they also found a shoe insole that matched a size 18 shoe.

And even though this let them know that Rico had been in the area, it was also really confusing because these track marks were found in an area that had been previously searched. So it kind of appeared that he had returned back to that spot after it was searched. The only thing that could explain him leaving again was the fact that his car was gone. Because if you remember, investigators took it in for processing, but still none of this is making any sense. Where did Rico go and did he come back?

And if he did come back, why did he leave again? And where is he now? So eventually detectives get this call from a man and he said that him and his wife and their grandson were driving on highway 16 along cash Creek when his grandson spotted a black backpack on the side of the road. And he said they stopped to pick it up. And they also noticed a cell phone just sitting near the backpack. They didn't see anyone in the area and they decide to

to take the items home, hoping that they can figure out who they belong to and return them. Well, it turns out that the backpack and the phone belong to Rico, and that explains why his cell phone was pinging in Redwood Valley. So they get the backpack and they search it, and inside they find two bottles of alcohol, an energy drink, some clothing, and jumper cables.

So then they search his cell phone and they find this really weird video of Rico. It showed him inside his car, clearly parked at Cache Creek, and he appeared to be throwing his stuff around the vehicle and rummaging around almost like he was looking for something, which explains why his car was in such bad condition when it was found. But it doesn't explain where Rico went or what he was looking for.

But luckily, that mass notification system came through and three people came forward saying that they believed that they had seen Rico. One person said that on Sunday, October 12th, they thought they saw him sitting on a guardrail along Highway 16, just a few miles from where his car was found. A second person believes that they saw him walking southbound on Highway 16. And the third person said that they thought they saw him at the lower site, walking around and acting very confused. So all these sightings kind of confirm that

Rico had been in that area and had stayed in that area. But where was he now? We don't want to think about the worst. So right now I keep myself very optimistic. I'm not really letting my mind wander anywhere else. I have to believe that, you know, I have that kind of faith that, you know, we're going to find him. So I'm sure many of you have come to your own conclusion that it's likely that Rico was on drugs during this time.

Obviously, we don't know for sure, but it would explain a lot of his behavior and actions. And we do know that Rico had relapsed and started drinking and doing drugs again. And if Rico was on meth, it would explain how he was able to stay awake for these long stretches of time. And not only would the drugs be disorienting for him, not sleeping would be as well.

So the more investigators are learning about his history, they are thinking that it's quite possible he went off into the mountains to do drugs. I mean, it would be a more secluded place where he could consume more meth without other people seeing him like they would at a rest stop. And the suspicion that he was on drugs was kind of confirmed once they finished processing his car. They didn't find any drugs in the car, but they did find a

A bindle, I guess, I didn't know this myself, but it's like a small clear baggie that is used to carry drugs. And again, no drugs were found in the car or in the bindle itself, but this led investigators to believe that he was out seeking more or had taken what was ever necessary.

in it with him. So the last breakthrough in the case came on October 19th when investigators did find another set of shoe prints in size 18 and they were not in the same location that the previous ones were. So despite three possible sightings,

two sets of shoe prints and the information gathered over the three-week search, Rico Omar Harris has still never been found to this day. At one point, investigators believed that maybe he had drowned in the river, especially when cadaver dogs had alerted to a specific spot

but dive teams came up empty-handed. The overwhelming theory here is that Rico had taken a detour into the mountains to do drugs, became disoriented and delusional, and began to wander. Some people believe that maybe he got picked

up by someone, was given a ride somewhere, maybe continued to do drugs and started a new life. But even if that is the case, and it's possible, it's unusual that no one has spotted him, especially since he has such strong identifying features. I really wish there was more to tell you. And I definitely want to hear, you know, your theories on what could have happened, but it's unbelievable that he is still not been found. And here we are in 2023, it's almost been 10 years and

there has been no sign of Rico, no clues, nothing. And Rico was a loved fiance, son, and friend who unfortunately really struggled with addiction and that possibly took his life. I know there will be a lot of judgmental comments. There always are when it comes to addiction, but I want to make it clear that addiction is serious.

a disease. For a lot of people, it's just impossible to escape. So I just wanted to point out if you know anyone who is struggling with addiction and want to seek help, please visit help.org to learn more. And if you or anyone you know has seen Rico or think you have any information that could help an investigation, please contact the Yolo County Sheriff's Office at 530-668-4255.

God, ones like this are just so confusing, so frustrating. I mean, they keep me up at night thinking about what happens to these people who just seem to vanish, especially after almost 10 years of no answers. It just, it seems hard to do, to disappear in today's world, but it still happens to people all the time.

That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode and make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then stay safe out there.