Naiping Hou, 74, vanished from his Rancho Cucamonga home in early May, leaving behind a million-dollar mystery. Criminals drained over $1 million from his accounts to buy gold bars while sending robotic text messages from his phone. His son Wen, a crypto investor and CIO of Coincident Capital, suspects the disappearance targets their family’s digital wealth. Authorities found Hou’s abandoned Toyota Yaris near a hiking trail but no trace of him. The case reveals how cryptocurrency riches can paint dangerous targets on families.
When 74-year-old Naiping Hou walked out of his Rancho Cucamonga home in early May without his phone, his family figured he’d be back soon. They were wrong.
What started as a routine disappearance quickly turned into something far more sinister. His silver Toyota Yaris turned up abandoned near a hiking trail. No sign of the elderly man anywhere.
Then came the weird text messages.
Robotic, uncharacteristic messages started appearing in family group chats from Naiping’s phone. The biggest red flag? He refused to visit his grandchildren. Anyone who knew him would tell you that was completely out of character. The family eventually realized they weren’t talking to Naiping at all – someone else had his phone.
The silence that followed was deafening.
By May 4, 2025, his family filed an official missing person report. But the real shocker was still coming. Over $1 million had been drained from Naiping’s bank accounts around the time he vanished. The money was allegedly used to buy gold bars online – something he’d never done before.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Naiping’s son, Wen Hou, isn’t just any concerned family member. He’s the CIO of Coincident Capital and a notable crypto investor. Translation: this family has serious digital wealth. Similar to the recent armed home invasion of popular Twitch streamer Amouranth, this case demonstrates the growing risks for individuals with known cryptocurrency holdings.
Authorities think that’s exactly why Naiping disappeared. The case fits an emerging pattern of criminals physically targeting people connected to cryptocurrency fortunes. Because apparently, digital money leads to very real-world violence.
Wen publicly stated his belief that the disappearance is financially motivated. Hard to argue with that logic when someone’s impersonating your father and cleaning out his accounts.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is handling this as a suspicious disappearance, with their Specialized Investigations Division involved. No arrests yet, but they’re not ruling out foul play. Federal agencies are using blockchain forensics to trace the stolen assets.
Desperate for answers, Wen has offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his father’s safe return or catching the perpetrators. The investigation continues, highlighting the very real dangers faced by crypto-wealthy families in an increasingly digital world. Naiping’s family friends later discovered his home had been completely stripped of furniture and his vehicles were missing. Wen last saw his father during a fishing trip before the disappearance, which has left him without any direct contact for months.
