51-year-old Torrance Man Reported Missing

TORRANCE — Akira Shono, 51, of North Torrance has been reported missing.

Shono, who is 5’5” tall and weighs 130 pounds, wears glasses and has black-grey hair.

Last seen at 3 a.m. on April 23, he was supposed to report for his IT job at the Ralph’s office in Compton. (Previous reports said that he works at Ralph’s in Long Beach, but he recently took a new position.)

He drives a black 2012 Toyota Tundra that has no shell and has California license plates, 33399F1.

According to Caitlyn Takahashi, Shono’s second cousin, “Akira’s wife was under the impression he was going to work. Akira had even mentioned he might go to his parents’ house in Culver City afterwards. When Akira did not come home, his wife thought he had just fallen asleep at his parents’, because he fell asleep there the week prior …

“Akira’s phone was found in the couch like it may have fallen out of his pocket. There has been no activity on his bank card and they are currently checking with hospitals for unidentified patients.

“Akira loves fishing (Los Angeles area, including Sierra Nevada up towards Mammoth) and snakes, so please share with anyone you know who is in those communities. His sisters wonder if he needed to take a break fishing or hunting for snakes.”

Shono and his family are members of West Los Angeles United Methodist Church. A member of the church, Naoto Tashiro, posted on Facebook, “I’ve known him since he was in my youth group. His family is very concerned and needs all the help … We pray for him and his family that he’s found and returned to them safely!”

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Torrance Police Department at (310) 328-3456.